Fire
by Kumon5
Summary: A gang has been troubling the city and its people. A group of friends do their best with what they have, but the worst is yet to come...
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Building

Lena frowned at the austere-looking structure. It was too dull for her tastes, and quite frankly, looked like a prison. She flicked her short hair to the side and ran her eyes over it again. Sweet Amoris High had roughly three thousand students. This new block of cement and steel would be their home during weekdays, so the teachers and staff said. The government had recently instated a new law that every school had to follow, and this was the result.

It was just so different from the rest of the small, cheery town that she wondered if it was stern and grey on the inside too. The only redeeming features were the green roof (covered with plants, a virtual garden) and the numerous chimneys. There were probably rooms inside, then, that had fireplaces. Would she be allowed to use them?

"At least it's got some greenery," said Dajan beside her. He had agreed to jump the fence with her under the pretense of fetching a basketball. It was late, and hardly any staff remained on campus. The sun's reddish rays flared over Lena's skin, giving her a fierce, proud look. "Jade would be happy if he knew, but he hasn't been here in weeks." He gave her a strange look. "Why risk it, anyway? You're the one who'll get in trouble if we're caught."

"I risk it because it suits me. I just want to see what's inside, where I'll be living for the next two and a half years." As a junior, Dajan would graduate in a shorter time. She would miss her only close friend, but that was months away yet. He wasn't as picky about his living spaces as she.

"Duck! Faraize is coming!" She complied, her petite form huddled next to his large one. The top of his cornrows still stuck out above the film of green meant to shield construction from prying eyes. She sighed. Their size difference was one she would never get used to. He was nearly six feet and all lanky muscle, whereas she was more that a head shorter and extremely compact from years of martial arts training.

Her pulse quickened as the teacher's steps grew closer and paused just feet from where they hid. A long, exaggerated breath sounded, then the teacher walked away, presumably back to the school.

Lena dared look over the coarse green sheet and let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding in. "He's gone."

Dajan shot her a look. "Why do you do these things? You'll have grey hair before you're thirty if you keep it up!"

She smirked, chapped lips twitching and black eyes twinkling. "Shush, you. Let's go, before it gets dark."

They walked over gravel and discarded bits of metal to the large double doors of the new building. A half-full bucket of grey paint held one side open. She rolled her eyes. "District workers never get anything done."

"Why would they? The get paid for the time they spend," her companion joked back.

She looked around in the dim light. Columns rose from a dusty floor littered with more buckets, tools, and screws. A walk a little farther revealed a staircase that still had no railings. Together, they ascended, chucks and bare feet making little sound against the concrete. Apprehension curled in Lena's gut.

Her bare feet were callused, used to rough treatment. She wore shoes regularly, but preferred to go without them. As soon as the last bell rung and her numerous clubs were over, off they came. She liked to be connected with the earth.

At the top of the stairs was a long, winding hallway, each room on either side closed and labeled with a number or a name. Study rooms, game rooms, and other names did not catch her eye. Then she stopped and eyed one door in particular. "Music Room 1," she muttered excitedly. "That means there's more than one!"

A sunny grin broke out over her usually neutral features. "Do you think this might be where they moved that old Steinway baby grand?" Dajan shrugged. He was more interested in sports than music and art.

"Maybe. Then again, they could just be storing the drum sets."

"Doubt it. This is the room closest to the stairs. They wouldn't lug it up five floors and risk damaging such expensive equipment."

"There's only one way to find out." She took his signal and pushed the freshly painted door open.

She gasped upon entering. "So the rumors were true…"

"What rumors?" Dajan had not heard much of the local gossip, being from a rival school.

"That's real Steinway grand!" Lena squealed, jumping up and down like a tot at Christmas. "They'll have to clean up a bit at clear the crates out, but otherwise, this is- this is beautiful!"

Her friend's bewildered expression did not faze her. She ran for the leather-padded bench and sat down. The tension in her arms made her tremble as she lifted the cover and ran her fingers over the smooth, white keys. She had always loved the sound of a piano. It was just such a versatile instrument, more so than a guitar or any other instrument.

She looked at Dajan again, who stood in the doorway, rather amused. "What should I play? Pick something good, for the first song on this fabulous piano!" He grinned.

"How about that one you like so much?" She grimaced.

"I haven't practiced that one in ages!"

"The waltz? You know the music teacher wants you to perform it at the prom." She wrinkled her nose.

"Why anyone would want to hear a waltz that sounds like the author was on ecstasy when he wrote it?"

"It might wake the dead, that's true…" She giggled at his comment and flexed her fingers to warm up.

"Oh, whatever… I'll just play the one I wrote." He made a face.

"Now that just sounds creepy."

She ignored him and placed her hands on the keys. She blinked a few times, cleared her hair from her face, and began to play.

A slow, haunting song was introduced, and then she began to sing along. There were no real words, just reaching the notes on an 'ah.' It still gave the basketball player shivers. He rubbed his arms. He could never understand what made her so attracted to music like this.

Behind a pile of near-empty crates, Castiel detected a sound other than his favorite band through his earphones. He took one out to listen. _Who creeps up here but me? And who plays such depressing tunes? _He removed the other earphone, stood up, and looked over the pile to see who it was.

_What the…_ It was a teenage girl, face blank with concentration as she looked down at the keyboard. At the threshold stood a vaguely familiar person from the basketball club who seemed equally perturbed by the melody. The singing was definitely not his style, slow and smooth. He couldn't help but note that her voice was lilting and almost seductive in quality.

Castiel snorted and stepped out from behind the messy barricade.

"If you don't mind, I'm listening to my own music here."

Lena looked up and raised an eyebrow at the one she considered an intruder, and replied in kind: "If you don't mind, I'm playing my own music here."

_Crap_, Dajan thought. He knew Castiel wouldn't take kindly to receiving his own medicine. The last time someone had said something rude, the coach had had to break up the fight. _At least she can defend herself._

The small girl stood up. The redhead smirked. There wasn't much difference between her height sitting down and standing up when that bench was as tall as it was. She was about… _4'10''._

"Why don't you play your own music somewhere else, then?"

"Because I don't want to," she shot back. "Why don't _you_ listen to your own music elsewhere?" Dajan facepalmed. _This is not going to end well…_

Castiel's eyes narrowed with anger. "Listen, kid, get out of here. I'm not one of those wimps who don't believe in hitting girls."

"Neither am I," Lena answered. "I'm not moving. Not while this fabulous instrument is in the room, anyway." She ran a gentle hand over the polished wood.

_She likes music…_

"Are you trying to get in a fight?!" Dajan interrupted, anxious to stop the two before anything went too far. "Let's just go, Lena. He's not worth our time."

"Yeah, go, little girl. What are you doing creeping around this place anyway?"

She had had enough, but didn't show it. Instead, she casually plucked a pair of black fingerless gloved from her back pocket and began to tie her hair back. Dajan began praying to all known heavenly beings for mercy.

"Well? Get going before I make you." Lena ignored his comment, walked straight up to him, and looked up to make some serious eye contact.

Castiel buckled over as the wind was knocked out of him with lightning punch to the gut. Then she was walking away again. _Damn…she's strong!_

"Alright, now we can go." She moved to leave, but a hand grasped her shoulder and whirled her around. Her adversary moved to push her over, but she widened her stance and used his momentum to pull him by, tripping him with her ankle. "We're going no, no need to bother me any more," she snarled, looking down at the prone individual.

Just as she was walking by, Castiel grabbed her ankle and stood up, momentarily unbalancing her. She reoriented herself, twisted her leg from his grasp, and kicked upwards, hitting him square on the chin. "I said we're going now. Or do you really want a fight?"

Brown hands forced the pair apart, though the tension in the room did not dissipate. "Break it up. I don't want any preventable suspensions on my head, thanks." Lena huffed.

"Fine, but I'm not letting him go so easily next time." Her new rival sneered.

"You won't have to. I'd be all too happy to oblige you next time you feel violent."

…

"What was that all about?! You could've gotten expelled right there!" Lena made a face as she descended the stairs and walked out onto the gravelly ground. She did not reply.

"Hey, don't ignore me!" Dajan pulled her back. Black fury and indignation contorted her face. _This is bad, very, very bad… _"Alright, take a deep breath and tell me why you're so upset." He thought he saw the sheen of a tear in her eye, but it disappeared as she obeyed him and threw her arms around him in a tight hug.

He let his arms come to rest at her shoulders after a moment of surprise.

"He didn't even recognize me," said her muffled voice from through his jersey.

"Huh?"

She pulled back and sighed. "He was my best friend in middle school, but then I moved… I thought all his insults were a prank or something, but they weren't."

Dajan's dark eyebrows nearly shot off his face. "Wait, hold up- you knew Castiel?!"

"Yeah…" Lena looked off into the distance. "He had black hair then, and I was just a little twig of a kid. Maybe… maybe he's trying to push me away because he's outgrown me."

"No one could outgrow you, least of all him. He probably didn't know you because you cut your hair short and grew some curves."

"But how do you know?! You weren't there…" The conversation faded into awkward silence. At last, Dajan put an arm around her shoulders and steered her towards the gate they had come in by.

"Let's go. It's going to get chilly soon."

…

Back inside the half-furnished dormitory building, Castiel plugged his ears with his earphones and turned the volume up. Still, the feeling of déjà vu would not abate. He knew that girl from somewhere. And her attitude was so familiar…

Sighing, he shrugged to himself and ignored the nagging thought in favor of his favorite band's newest single.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Familiarity

Morning found Lena blinking up at the rays of sun streaming through the curtains. _I wonder… Did Castiel move here just this week? Can I make contact after all this time, let him know it's me? _Her gut clenched with nerves at the notion. Would he remember her? Or had they grown so far apart that he wouldn't be willing to rebuild their friendship?

She sat up and looked at the picture on her desk of herself in the sixth grade. She'd had braces and bangs then, and a goofy smile. Her whole body had been sticklike and bony. She could see her very defined collarbones poking out from beneath a bush of dark hair. _I looked so awkward then…_

She reluctantly rolled out of her soft bed and down comforter and ran her fingers through her shortened locks before looking at herself in the mirror. Time and much exercise had treated her well. She was lean and muscled now, with not a bit of excess fat. Her tanned skin was nothing like the pasty tone of the little child in the picture. She had gotten rid of her braces a year previous, too.

Then she breathed deeply and examined her sides. They were gracefully curved, but her natural insecurity told her she looked too thick around the middle. She turned to the side and looked again. _Hmm…that looks okay._

It took only a few minutes for her to don a pair of black jeans, a form-fitting black tank, and her black sneakers. Black was a good color for her personality now, as opposed to the bright floral of her eleven-year-old self.

The eyes that had once squinted against the sun and tears now opened to view the world with cameras scanning for opportunity. The foster system had let her stay at her school, but with her parents gone, she'd had to fend for herself.

Now she had her own purpose- to make something of herself even though everyone said she would never be anything. As a pianist and singer, she kept her head high even though it never reached many people's eye levels.

She brushed her hair out and checked the time: it was 7:15am, about time for her to leave if she wanted to be early.

She grabbed her bag and hurried down the stairs and out the door, chewing on a bran muffin she'd snagged from the kitchens on the way. _Blech…tastes like cardboard_, she sniffed to herself, tearing off a piece to throw at a passing pigeon. The bird pecked at it and waddled away. With a last snort of derision, she tossed the morsel over her shoulder. If even the birds didn't want it, it couldn't be good.

On the way, a black coat and old school (very old school) trousers caught her eye. She called out to the figure across the street. "Hey, poet boy!" She waved, but he simply sighed and looked away. Perhaps he wasn't a morning person.

She walked a few blocks more and at last entered the hallways, ignoring the strange looks some of the kids gave her. Most assumed she was simply depressed from the way she dressed and didn't bother with talking to her. She didn't mind- it gave her more time with her music.

A flash of red passed her- a red shirt and red hair. _Him. Maybe I should go up to him…but he's talking with another girl. _She tried to repress the flash of jealousy that choked her breathing. _Anyway, after yesterday, he probably wouldn't want to talk to me… _She hurried away before her muddled emotions were clear and she could regret anything.

…

She did not have martial arts lessons on Tuesdays, so she escaped to the park, leaving her bag on the grass. The sun was warm on her arms, and felt heavenly on her normally sun-deprived face. Going outside was not a regular thing during the school year. Her after school time now being free, she decided to practice what she had learned. Her belt test was coming up in a few weeks, and it would be good to get some practice in to impress the instructor.

She stretched up, brushing the sky with her fingertips- sort of. It would be possible if she weren't so short. Then she finished a round of other stretches, descending into a middle split that she had achieved after a whole year of agonizing training.

The things she started with were fairly simply- high kicks and blocks met the air with ferocity, and she was sweating before long.

A loud, excited bark reached her ears from across the field. She looked and- lo and behold- a gigantic black dog whose bite was likely much worse than its bark bounded towards her, tongue hanging out and ears flopping back.

"Demon! Come, boy!" a frustrated Castiel shouted. _Crap, it's him…and I'm all sweaty now! Darn it… _The dog leaped for Lena, and time slowed down. _That's Demon? He was just a puppy last I checked!_

Thinking quickly, she sidestepped, and the eager canine landed on the grass beside her. Demon wasn't shaken that easily, however, and jumped again. She grabbed his paws and flipped him over mid-leap, wrestling him to the ground. _He's gotten so big! Does he remember the girl that fed him too many treats?_

When Castiel caught up, flushed and winded, it was to a girl who couldn't have weighed more than half a Demon, and his beloved dog, play fighting in the sun-warmed grass. His jaw dropped as the girl's hands closed around Demon's muzzle. The shepherd struggled free and growled playfully. _No one does that to him and escapes with less than a bite!_

Lena, having the time of her life playing with her old buddy, growled back just as enthusiastically, tackled him, and closed her teeth on the tip of his ear. If Castiel's jaw had dropped any lower, he would've had to sew it back on. _There is more to this girl than a hot temper and creepy piano music…_

Flustered, he closed his mouth and assumed his uncaring attitude again. "May I have my dog back once you're finished molesting him?"

Lena got back to her feet. Demon whined, upset at losing his playmate. "I wasn't molesting him, Castiel. He just wanted to play, that's all," she said, inwardly congratulating her for remaining calm.

"How do you know my name?" The girl looked down at the still-pining dog and ruffled his ears as if he was still the pup she had known.

"Ask him. He remembers me," she said, kneeling down again for a few sloppy kisses. "Don't you, boy?"

Embarrassment washed up and pinked the teen's ears. And to think his had nearly beat her up the day before, not recognizing her! "Lena? You're so…"

Her eyes flashed, showing a temper he well remembered, a temper more deadly now that when she hit him, it would hurt. "Different? Short, maybe? _Immature_?" she hissed at him.

"I… I-"

"Don't pull those excuses with me! I don't care if you have a crowd of _new_, _popular_ friends! You should have recognized me the moment you saw me, and you didn't!" She grabbed his shirtfront and pulled him up close and personal. "Do you know how it hurts to be 'kid' and 'little girl' to your own best friend?"

He grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back, more to keep his willpower intact than to prevent his shirt from being ripped. The sight of her smooth skin so close was a bit much. _When did she turn hot? _"Had I known, I would never have-"

But she was already walking away; bag in hand, with a very sad dog gazing after her.

…

"Alright, the dorms are first come, first serve, because the state did not grant enough money for two building to be built," Mr. Faraize announced, motioning at the floors of rooms above him. The class was taking a tour around the new dorms during lunch, and this only added to a particular girl's irritation. After going home pissed as she had after the park incident, was it any wonder that today she would be deprived of her lunch hour too? _Fate has never been on my side…_

It didn't help, either, that it was scorching hot and the staff didn't know where the thermostat for the dorms was yet. The guys seemed to be handling it just fine. A few feet ahead of her, Castiel still had his jacket on, and showed no sign of discomfort. _Maybe I should get a boy's haircut- crop it short like they do in the military…_

The resident poet, Lysander, nudged her with his elbow. She looked confused for a moment before he made eye contact and motioned for her to follow him. Curious, she walked after him. When they reached the edge of the group, she raised an eyebrow. "What's going on?" She glanced back at Castiel, who was examining the half-painted wall behind the teacher rather than listening.

"Castiel told me what's been happening between you two. I wished to do something about it."

"What's there to do?" she asked, skeptical. "Why would you want to do anything, anyway? You don't know me."

"Castiel is a friend of mine. Would you not do the same for Dajan?" Even more suspicion was the response he received.

"How do you know about Dajan and I?"

"I see things. But that isn't the point here."

"What is, then? Are you trying to patch things up? Because I would rather he come to me and apologize in person." She began to walk away, but he pulled her back.

"I am trying not to apologize for him, but to arrange a meeting for you two." She made a face.

"You're setting us up? I don't like him that way- even less than that, now."

"Yes, but not romantically." She gave it a moment of thought. Then she smiled a very intimidating, evil-plot-in-which-someone-dies smile.

"What do I have to do?"

…

"He walks Demon every day at the park, as you saw yesterday. If you could be there today and every day afterward, he might work up the courage to approach you before the dog does." Lysander stepped back. "I wish you luck."

"Well, thanks…and he doesn't walk his dog. He chases it," she laughed.

"Very true, Miss Lena. Good day."

And then she was alone with her thoughts and nervousness. It would take a few minutes before he arrived, so she sat down in the grass to wait.

Then she got bored and began to sketch- it wasn't good, but it was close enough. Cas' new features were etched into her brain- his new outfit, attitude, and jewelry made him look less unconventional and more distant.

A startled yell interrupted the path of her pencil. _And here he comes… _Demon raced towards her in a happy frenzy, yipping and slobbering.

"Hey! Get back here! Come on!" He barely noticed her, or if he did, hid it well.

"After three years, you still can't control him," she noted, a smile in her voice. "C'mere boy! Sit!" After several minutes of trying to get the hyper dog to sit, she looked at his master rather expectantly and grabbed for Demon's leash. "What are you waiting for, Cesar Millan? Come and get your dog!"

Castiel awkwardly stepped back on the leash, stopping the beast in his tracks. Then Lena remembered why she was here.

"We have some catching up to do, mister. And you owe me an apology."

"I- um…what?" She stared at him for a moment, deciding whether to be incredulous or repeat the request. Then she exploded- again.

"Idiot! Do you not understand?" she shouted, open hands waving so frantically that he had to step back to avoid getting slapped.

"Yes, I get it, I'm sorry!" he shouted back, trying to protect his face from her flailing hands. She abruptly calmed down again and smiled. His heart skipped a beat, and he almost wished she still had her braces so that he wouldn't be so drawn to look at her intently.

"Oh, good. Now, tell me what has happened in the past three years!"

Castiel's eye twitched at the sudden change of attitude. _WTF?_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Moving Day

As promised, the dorms were first-come-first-serve. Individuals pushed their ways to the first available rooms, lugging heavy suitcases, sometimes two at a time. Lena carried a duffel bag over one shoulder and dragged a rolling bag up the stairs, huffing when the wheels caught on a ledge. "Crap…" she muttered, yanking the obstinate luggage up. "Who knew that clothes and books could be so heavy?"

"You should, after being born a bookworm," a voice replied beside her. She looked to the side.

"I should've known… Wipe that smug look off your face and help me, Dajan!" He laughed and picked up the strap of the roller bag, throwing Lena off balance. "Hey, don't trip me!"

"This is the greeting I get after two days of my absence from your life? You wound me!" he proclaimed rather dramatically, following her up the stairs and through a recently furnished hallway.

"Shush. I couldn't wound you if I tried," she joked back, scanning for an empty room. All around her, the clamor of conversation and moving objects filled the cramped spaces.

"So, do you have a roommate?" he queried, predicting her answer.

"No. The other girls think I'm going to be cutting myself in the middle of the night, or practicing witchcraft, which I won't be, by the way-"

"People are crazy. You know that, right?"

"Yes. Yes, I do." They entered a room and set down the bags. "I am so glad I don't have to stay at the orphanage all the time now…" She stretched and yawned, trying to rid herself of the effects of staying up late.

"Well, you could just stay at my place- my mom offered to let you stay awhile."

"Only because she thought I was your girlfriend! And if I stayed with you, the foster people would report a missing child." She sighed thoughtfully, regretting now that she had not thought to bring a picture of her parents with her. "Go! I must unpack, and it is not dignified that you should see my underwear!"

He laughed. "Right. See ya," he replied, and left the room.

The bits of sunlight coming through the window warmed her skin, but she wanted to see outside. The curtains of leaves outside from a nearby tree obscured much of the view, even when she pulled the white curtains aside. The room was small, and had two beds and a half bathroom. It wasn't what she was used to- now she had privacy, instead of sleeping next to dozens of younger kids all trying to hog the blankets. _Hmmm…the walls need some color, but other than that, it's pretty good…_

It was almost 7:00, and the sunset glared at her from over the horizon. Her stomach growled.

With a sigh, she opened the door, only to jump back when a startled Castiel stumbled backwards and fell neatly on his rump.

"What the heck? Dude, it's called knocking!"

"I didn't know there was anyone in this room!"

"It's still called knocking!" she shouted, waving her arms and making a face that could've been posted as the funniest meme of the year. Castiel couldn't help but laugh. "Now what's so funny?" she demanded, hands on her hips.

"I see you haven't lost any of your ridiculousness since middle school!"

"Well, you haven't either- you just fell on your butt for goodness sake, and you laugh at _me_?" Lena paused thoughtfully. "Speaking of which, why _did_ you fall on your butt?" He scowled playfully.

"You opened the door, oh great and wise little girl." He received a very heartily delivered mouthful of polyester pillow in his smart mouth.

"Don't call me that!" He spat out the fabric and smirked.

"Why not? You're little, and you're a girl!" She hissed like a cat and pulled another face.

"Because it makes me sound like I'm five!" Another pause. "So, why were you leaning on my door?"

"I was trying to save a room for Lysander and I. The rest of the rooms were taken already. Most parents are letting their kids stay here to get a taste of the real world."

At that moment, the aforementioned songwriter stepped into the room. "Castiel, did you- oh. My apologies, Lena, we did not know you already resided here."

"Yes, I can see that."

Awkward silence reigned. Lena was the first to break it.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving! Last one to the dining room owes me five bucks!" She bolted, leaving behind two very confused boys.

Castiel shrugged. "I'm not going to be last," he declared, and shot off after his old friend. Lysander sighed.

_This is going to be a long year… _Then he dashed off after the two.

…

Dinnertime was loud, rowdy, and rather typical of high school students. Lena grumbled and shifted uncomfortably in her athletics shorts. It was cooler than she'd expected for a dining room, and her thin t-shirt wasn't helping.

Beside her, Dajan shoveled mouthfuls of pasta into is mouth as preparation for his next game, not caring that it was cold or that he wasn't supposed to be on campus. Castiel eyed him over Lena's head, wondering how she and the basketball player had met, and if there was any romantic connection between them. Then he shoved the thought aside and turned his attention back to his sandwich.

"If you're so interested in her male company, you should lend her your jacket." Castiel scowled at his levelheaded friend and stabbed his sandwich as if he meant to rip its guts out with his fork.

"It's not that easy. She just re-met me, remember?" he retorted, keeping his voice low.

"If you won't, I will. She is quite the beauty compared to the gawky kid you told me about." The guitarist growled and muttered something about 'get kicked in the head' and 'centuries-old menswear.' His face flushed pink as Lena put a hand on his shoulder and turned him towards her.

"What's wrong? You're unusually quiet… Oh!" He flinched as her fingers brushed a dark bruise just under his chin. "Sorry about that…"

"It's fine." He pulled away and she frowned.

"What's up with you? Did you break your pride when I managed to hit you for once?" she joked, punching him lightly. Dajan looked up from his now empty plate.

"Something like that, I think. Don't worry; he'll get over it." The subject of the conversation glared back at Lena's friend.

"You shouldn't be here- you don't even belong to this school."

"Did that ever stop you?"

"Guys, shut up! Something's happening!" Something was indeed happening, and a clatter of metal trays and utensils grated on sensitive ears. Two of the football players had stood up on their tables and were hitting their trays with their spoons. A few people laughed and tried to pull them back to their seats, and several others threw dinner rolls at them, but they would not comply with popular demand.

Lena rolled her eyes. "This is when I know that some guys are always idiots." She sighed. "I'm tired, I've got work and practice to get to, and I've had enough of this noise. Who's coming with me to the music room?"

"I'll go." Lysander stood up and elegantly offered his arm. To Castiel's dismay (and Dajan's amusement), she took the proffered arm and _smiled_! She looked back at the two left behind.

"You coming?" Her athlete friend shook his head.

"I have to get home now. Unlike this place, my school hasn't even built the dorms yet." Lena waved at him, and then glanced back at her rather dejected old buddy.

"You're not coming with us?" _Us, eh? Charming, just charming…_

"Of course I am. Someone needs to chaperone you two." His inner voice practically screamed at him. _Idiot! Wait…why do you care so much?_

…

The door to the music room creaked open. No one was there, most people having gone back to their rooms to work or outside to play games in the dark.

The last bits of the sun had long since vanished, so Lena flicked the switch. "Wow… They finally cleaned the place up."

Now, the walls were free of dust, and the crates were gone. "Just goes to show what district people do in their spare time," Castiel commented. "Do you really think they'd clear it up when they already left?"

"Maybe the teachers did it," the girl supposed. "There are a few who actually care about the arts." Lysander (who had let Lena's arm go when she had bounded up the stairs in her eagerness) just 'hmmm'd and looked to the side. He took off his heavy coat and placed it on the body of the piano.

"Oh well. At least we won't trip."

"Are you going to play your creepy music again, or have you written anything good yet?"

"Hey!" A swift elbow left another bruise on Castiel's arm, right in the middle of his forearm.

"Ow! Easy, woman, I bruise!"

"Yes, we've noticed," Lysander and Lena said in unison. The other just huffed and crossed his arms as his friends cracked up at his expense.

The girl sat down at the piano and played a scale. "I always found it ironic that the person with smaller hands is the one who's been playing piano the longest." Lysander raised an eyebrow.

"How long have you been playing?"

"Ten years," Castiel answered for her as she began with a well-known new age piece. Then she tuned background noise out as she concentrated solely on playing.

"Are you going to talk to her?" came Lysander's knowing whisper.

"I've been talking to her all night, Captain Obvious."

"You know what I mean. I might escort her everywhere, but you have to be hers or you'll be the biggest idiot the world has ever seen."

"I think I'll settle for idiot rather than embarrass myself." A very deadpan Lysander shook his head.

"You're going to regret not asking her out, I can tell." He blinked several times and backed away. "I shall retire now. Good night."

His friend, still somewhat grumpy, muttered back a 'yeah, whatever,' and watched him go. Lena finished her piece and sighed.

"I can't get those notes right- they're too fast."

"Then play it slower. You know how to do that, right?" he teased, amused by her frustration.

"You try it, then! I bet you couldn't do it half as well as I do!"

"Are you asking for trouble, little girl?" he asked, stalking towards her. She didn't move, not the least bit intimidated though he was a whole foot taller.

"What if I am?" Her fingers reached out behind her as he looked over her shoulder, and brushed the bruise she'd left him the last time they were in the room. "I don't usually have any problems getting out of it."

He placed his hands on either side of hers on the ledge above the keyboard, holding her in place. "Then show me how you get out of it, if you're so confident, _little Lena_," he insisted, mocking her further. No sooner had the sentence left his mouth than a sharp elbow struck his ribs, making him buckle.

Lena's face burned as she realized what repercussions that motion would have. His lips were pressed to her shoulder, and a startled yelp escaped him.

It was at that moment, when they were in such a compromising position, that Lysander chose to open the door.

"I forgot my-" He froze, a rather incredulous expression spreading over his countenance. "You joke about chaperones, Castiel, but I'm beginning to wonder which of us truly needs one!"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Playhouse

Castiel hastily drew back, making a show of wiping his mouth. "That was an accident, dumb-"

"You forgot your coat?" Lena grabbed the article and went over to hand it to Lysander, ducking out from under her companion's arms. "Here, before someone sees you in that white shirt and thinks you're a ghost. You're certainly quiet enough to be one." Castiel snickered to hide the fact that he was moving away from his position at the piano.

"Thank you." He exited again, leaving both wondering if he had been thanking Lena for the coat or her ghost comment. Then Lena rounded on Castiel and grabbed his shoulders.

"Crazy person! That looked like you were about to give me a hicky!"

"Well you elbowed me!" Another deadpan look was cast his way.

Just outside the door, Lysander smirked. Things were going well…

…

Lena twitched, trying to hold in her laughter as the scene progressed. She was backstage in the auditorium, observing a more comical scene being played out, in which a drunkard was being told that he was a wealthy lord who had a wife. The boy playing the drunkard stumbled about and slurred most wonderfully, nearly running headlong into a prop post.

"It would be funnier if I knew what they were saying," said Castiel's voice behind her. She turned around and faced him.

"Aren't you supposed to be in class?" He shook his head.

"Free period."

"Lucky bastard… So, you just decided to drop in because…why?" A laugh was heard from a meager audience as the drunk at last collapsed and the real lord who was playing the trick nudged him with his boot.

"Nowhere else to go, really. Lysander is in some exam right now. Say, did you know they've removed the dress code? They figure since we're living here, no need to check how we dress."

"Does this mean someone will go streaking across the green in nothing but a Speedo?" The boy choked on his next breath.

"Where the heck do you get such weird ideas?"

"Drama. It's very dramatic." They passed a few more moments in silence, she engrossed in the scene and he looking on, slowly deciphering Shakespeare's words. Then he got bored. His eyes drifted. If he snuck up on her, would she squeak? He shook the thought away. That would be for another day- maybe April fool's.

He examined the black-painted walls around him and spotted a narrow ladder. '_Authorized Personnel Only'… This looks promising._

Lena whirled around as she heard the soft echo of rubber soles on leather. "Hey, what are you doing? I don't think anyone's supposed to be up there…" Onstage, the scene concluded and another group came on to perform for a grade.

"Exactly. That means no one's going to bother me when I stay there for lunch." He reached the top of the ladder and pushed open the metal hatch. The whistling of a clean breeze filled Lena's ears. "Coming?"

"What do you think?" She followed him up the ladder and emerged after him into white blocks of buildings and blue sky.

What met them there was not pretty.

Someone lay prone a few yards from the entrance. A stuffed animal's innards were scattered about, rolling with the slight breeze. The girl looked unconscious.

"Whoa…" Lena ran towards the figure and knelt beside her. She pressed two fingers to the side of her neck and sighed with relief. "Good, she's still breathing." She jerked her head at her friend. "Go tell someone."

"But we don't know her or who did this yet!" He moved to stand beside her, concerned in a manner that he would be for other strangers. "If the authorities get involved, it'll just mean more trouble for everyone; you know how ineffective the police are here." Lena frowned in frustration.

"I hate it when you're right…"

A soft mumble was heard from the beaten girl's throat. "Th- thr…" Lena leaned forward to hear more clearly.

"Three S-snakes…" Then her eyes rolled back into her head, and she lost consciousness. Castiel looked back at the way they'd come. Leaves were scattered along the gutters and metal-shelled wires, but none were in the path from the access hatch to the place where the girl lay.

"She was probably chased up here," he said. "Come on: let's get her down."

The climb back down was a hazardous one. Lena had to use her shoelaces and belt to fasten the girl to her friend's back so as to transport her safely. Thankfully she was fairly light.

Once on the ground, they untied her (Lena reclaiming her various fastenings) and set her down on one of the combat mats. "You should probably take her to the nurse," a voice said from wings nearby, worry tingeing his voice. "She doesn't look so good."

It was a tall boy, probably about seventeen, with a European-gone-wrong look to him. His plaid shirt's sleeves were ripped off, and a small black hoop hung from one ear. That hoop was studded with spikes, like a pinwheel of torture. He was almost inhumanly pale under the bright stage lights filtering between the curtains. The green cap he wore was interwoven with bits of snakeskin, giving it a wild, untamed look.

"Who are you?" Castiel demanded in his usual gruff tone.

"Emitt Larson, at your service," he replied, sweeping off his cap with a deep and mocking bow, "and a friend of Violette's." He had an accent reminiscent of one from South Africa.

Castiel sneered. "If you're so eager to help, why don't you carry her yourself?" Lena intervened before things got ugly.

"Hey, be nice… Anyway, we could use the help. I'm not big enough to carry her, and this guy's already done more than anyone would ask of him." The redhead breathed slightly easier. At least she hadn't given away their names.

The newcomer picked up the wounded girl with deceptive ease and jerked his chin at the side door. "Well, shall we go?"

…

Late that night, Lena shifted in her sleep. Her current dream was muddled and dark, so her mind decided instead to ascend back to consciousness. She sat up and breathed deeply of the cool air. She'd left the window open, feeling a little claustrophobic in the small room.

The nurse had called an ambulance after checking Violette's injuries and finding that her ribs were bruised, one of them broken. Her back, too, had been brutalized under her shirt, and was colored in places like her name- purple. The unfortunate girl had been sent to the hospital with a slight head injury, but no permanent damage.

A shuffling noise seeped under the door from the hallway.

"This is where she dorms, unless she decided to sneak out and sleep with her boyfriend."

"How do you know that's her boyfriend?"

"Why else would they go up on the roof together?" Lena silently pulled back the covers and stalked to the door. One of the voices sounded familiar of the three. _Three… 'Three Snakes,' she said. Could this be them? _Disgust washed through her. Why would anyone have cause to beat up an innocent little girl?

_I could take them_, she thought, _and beat them as she was beaten…but that would only get me expelled._

"Never mind that. The important thing's that we know where she is now, or will be soon." That voice was _very_ familiar…but it wasn't Emitt. It was someone very similar, however. _A relative of his?_

"We can't just start small like this. Those two are probably not very high up in the social pyramid, and they won't go about spreading fear like others."

"Actually, we can. When the outcasts know and don't tell, in the early stages, we won't get caught. And even if they did tell, authority would assume they're lying, because we never leave any evidence."

"Let's go. These hallways give me the creeps."

"Wimp."

"Better not to be caught, though." They were walking down the hall, back towards the stairs. Their footsteps echoed as they descended, clapping the hard concrete with rubber soles. As soon as the steps faded, Lena opened the door and rushed down over the carpet in her bare feet. Her heart pounded from the adrenaline being pumped into her body. _They should be out on the first floor by now._

"What are you doing?" She turned around and shushed the person behind her, barely registering that it was Lysander more casual than she had ever seen him in flannel pajamas.

"I'm following suspicious people," she whispered back. "What are you doing?"

"I was going to get something to eat. I forgot dinner in my bout of inspiration." In the dim light from the end of the hall, she could barely make out his eyes. "Might I join you on your mission to follow suspicious people?"

"Yes, but don't make any noise." She tiptoed down the stairs, wincing when her feet slapped against the mock stone. At the bottom of the staircase, she listened again. Moonlight streamed in through the windows of the dining room, and all looked still.

"Perhaps they have gone," the poet said, "and will disappear into the crowds come morn." She glanced at him and pressed her index to his lips, stopping whatever his next sentence might have been. She almost slapped him in surprise when something shattered in the kitchen.

She bolted towards the noise, weaving through chairs and tables to get to the source. Lysander followed, nearly tripping over the triangular doorstop as he crossed into the buffet area. _What's a doorstop doing this far from a door?_

Lena felt her way into the kitchen, hands searching for a light switch. She flipped it quickly. A back door to the alley where garbage was picked up a few days previous slammed shut. _So, they're from outside the school? _She ran after them, throat stinging in the cold air. They ran without shouting back and forth to each other. _They must have practice running…_

A dumpster to her left rattled as someone slipped behind it to reach a gap in the fence. The three had split, one going straight for the street, and another around the corner. Behind, Lysander stumbled along. His feet were unused to the rough ground. Before he could stop her, she'd slipped through. _Leave it to her to take the most difficult route_, he thought exasperatedly. He opted to run for the street, glimpsing flashes of shoes and loose shirts as he followed.

Before long, he had lost his target, slowed down by his sore feet and the disappearing sound of footsteps.

Lena had slipped through the chain link barrier to a patch of grass between houses and the nearby park. The shushing of street shoes over greenery could be heard not far off, so she sprinted towards it again, towards bushes shielded from moonlight. When she reached the bushes and loam-littered soil, she stopped to listen once again.

There was nothing but the wind in the tops of the trees. She tried looking about her for snapped branches or freshly fallen leaves, but it was the end of summer, when all plants were tough and resistant to damage. The culprit would not be found tonight.

"Lena?" Lysander called across the green. The moonlight revealed him striding across towards her. "It's late. We should return before some staff member finds us gone."

"How late is it?" She, frustrated that she had lost whomever it was who'd run, still scanned the greenery.

"It is late enough that if we stay out here for another hour, we will see the false dawn."

"4:00am?

"Close to that. Let us go back." He held out his hand towards the dorms. "Castiel will have plenty to ask us when we return."

"We're going to your dorm?" She began to walk back to the school.

"Of course." He offered his arm and she took it, grateful for the extra warmth. Now that she wasn't running, she found it too cold for her liking. She was forced closer when the wind picked up. He, too, held her closer.

In the shadows, a pair of eyes watched them walk away together.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: If you're a first time reviewer, you get to request a scene or an incident, so long as it goes with the plot so far. If you have any ideas after that, please do not hesitate to tell me, and I will consider your suggestions! So, now that I'm done shamelessly bribing you for reviews… On to the story!**

Chapter 5: Suspect

Castiel was expecting them to come back. He had assumed that the cap he had found just outside Lena's door had been discarded in a quick and quiet exchange of blows, and that he, the guilty party, would have been dragged to the campus police unit, beaten and bruised. He was not, however, expecting them to come in barefoot and windblown, disappointment on their faces. (A bit of his own disappointment showed when he noticed that they had assumed their arm in arm position and seemed quite comfortable that way.)

"So…what have you two been up to? Chasing butterflies?" he commented with his usual sarcasm.

"Actually, it would be moths- it's nighttime, or don't you remember?" Lena teased, delivering a slight shove to his bare shoulder. _Wait is that a tank top? He looks… _She forced herself not to finish the thought else she thinks something mortifyingly silly- like 'delicious.' _Darn, finished it anyway. Too late to take it back now. Hopefully he doesn't see this heated face in the dim light._

The ever-perceptive Lysander, as if reading her distracted thoughts, headed for the light switch. Castiel was her salvation, but it kept him literally and figuratively in the dark.

"Don't. They'll think something's up if the lights are on this early in the morning." _Whew…close one. Control yourself, girl! He's supposed to be a friend, and only that!_

"So, we went downstairs and chased three people all the way out to the streets."

"Was one of them that Emitt dude?" he asked, holding up the discarded cap.

"No. Where'd you get that?" She reached for the soft material, confused.

"It was just outside your door. He must've come by after you left, otherwise you'd have encountered him." Shivers crawled up and down her spine. Had he been watching her as she ran after the three people who'd beaten Violette? She held the cap and examined the leathery sections of it. _Three Snakes…and what does he have to do with them? Could he have disguised his voice when we met him?_

"We should find him and watch him tomorrow- see what he's doing and why." Lysander gave a thoughtful hum.

"Are you certain? He could be completely innocent, and we would be found out for eavesdropping."

"If he was innocent, why would his hat be just outside Lena's door, right after she left to chase down whoever it was who was sneaking about?"

"Perhaps he was chasing them too." Lena sighed.

"I'm tired, and it's extremely late. How about we just get some rest?" A murmur of agreement met her suggestion, and she curled up on Castiel's pillow, head in her arms.

"Hey." He poked her arm experimentally. "I need that." She lifted her head and looked at him.

"Well, I'm not going back to my room at this time of night."

"And I'm not sleeping on the floor," he shot back.

"Would you rather I slept on the floor?" said Lysander from across the room. His eyebrow was raised, and he looked rather irritated at further being kept from dreamland. Castiel snorted. Then he picked Lena up without much effort at all and reclaimed his pillow, making no move to remove her from his bed.

Lena looked at the soft mattress and blankets, then back at the door, then at the small amount of space between Castiel and the wall. "Oh, well, fine then…" she grumbled and lay down next to him trying to ignore the fact that he was breathing down on her head. She burrowed under the blanket next to him, and her feet became so much warmer than they would have been has she been alone.

It didn't take long at all for her to fall asleep. Castiel watched her for a few minutes. She looked so peaceful compared to her tempers and indignation during the day. His heart skipped a beat that she would trust him enough to sleep easy so close to him.

_I wish… I wish every night could be like this._ He didn't try to take the thought back. He was too tired. With the softest of sighs, he succumbed to exhaustion as well.

Meanwhile, Lysander watched them and their growing bond, and also grew sick for wishful thinking. Would that he had someone to hold like that as well…

…

The alarm rang at 7:00am, but none were ready to wake. It was only Lysander's annoyed grunt that signaled that it was time to stop pressing snooze and prepare for the day. Lena opened her eyes and found that Castiel's arm had found it's way around her waist, and that her face was pressed into his chest. She would have the marks of the lines of his shirt on her cheek for about the next five minutes. _Now if I could just get away without him noticing…_ She tried to lift his arm off of her body, but he stirred and blinked sleepily.

_ Darn it, too late… And why does his voice have to sound so nice when he's half asleep? _She did not voice her thoughts, but instead covered them with a cheery "Hey sleepyhead. Can I get up now?"

"…Huh? O-oh, alright." He pulled away from her rather too rapidly and fell off the bed, hitting the carpet with a thump. "Ow…"

Lena giggled, deciding that she should catch sleepy Castiel more often. It was just too easy when he was only half aware of his surroundings. He sat up, rubbed the back of his head, and scowled. "Don't get so cocky, little girl. I'll have the last laugh, you'll see…" Then he stood and headed for the shower.

Lysander watched the exchange with amusement glinting in his mismatched eyes. "Perhaps you should return to your dorm before anyone is up to see you come out of here." She huffed.

"Yeah, it wouldn't be so great for my already sinister reputation…" He gave her a curious look.

"I would hardly call you sinister; intimidating, maybe, but not sinister."

"It's because of my wardrobe. Black on black doesn't tend to give people the best impression."

"Have you yet considered changing your clothes?"

"I'd rather not change unless I want to. Speaking of which, I think I'll go back to my room now." She reluctantly stepped out of the warm sheets and headed towards to door.

"Of course." Then he paused, leaving her wondering if he'd say anything else. "Would you join me for breakfast?" he finally asked, in a slightly softer voice than normal.

"Sure. Meet me at the stairs after you're dressed," she answered, wondering what he might want. Her company? Surely she was too loud for his tastes… Shaking her pondering away, she headed back to her dorm through fairly quiet halls.

"Hey, witch!" Lena almost flinched and looked up, stopping in her tracks. Her gaze was fixed to a little blemish on the painted walls. "Yeah, you!"

_Crap…and I was just about to have a fairly calm, amiable morning too. Perhaps these little annoyances need a lesson in manners._ She looked up to see a trio of girls, all three somehow dressed in their usual over-the-top outfits and eyeing her as a group of sharks might eye a school of tuna. "And a very good morning to you too," she answered in kind, layering on fake sweetness. She batted her eyes at them and kept her stance open and harmless, but wide enough that she would not sway should they decide to push her. "What are you lovely ladies doing here in a hall where someone could decide to mug you this very moment?" she cooed, as if talking to small children.

A blonde, their ringleader, smirked evilly, screwing up her pretty features into something reminiscent of a hellion. "Look, girls, isn't it cute? It even talks," she said, skipping straight to the torment. "And what would _it_ be doing coming out of darling Castiel's dorm room, huh?"

Lena gritted her teeth. She could usually stand such comments from them, but their reference to her as an inanimate object was beginning to really grate on her nerves. "Would it please my ladies to know that which I have done throughout the night and part of this morning?" she asked in a rather suggestive tone, using her acting skills to the fullest. Inside she was barely holding together, but she had to hold on a bit longer- just until they got bored of her unresponsiveness and walked away.

The Asian girl on the blonde's right sneered, shimmer particles flashing in her lipstick. "Looks like you're out of luck, Amber, she already screwed your dark prince!" She received an elbow to the ribs for her trouble. Amber otherwise remained composed.

"Oh, so now it's a whore! Delightfully amusing, isn't it?" Lena hated how they never spoke directly to her. Maybe they thought it was degrading to acknowledge that she was a person. _Well, honestly…acknowledging me would be a step up for them._

"She's not a whore if I invited her in," said Castiel, poking his head out of the doorway. Amber paled from her beach tan complexion to almost white, then was dyed a deep red by the angry rush of blood to her face. Lena laughed as all three of them turned tail and ran. Castiel assumed his signature smugly satisfied expression, as Lena turned back towards him, both grateful and shocked.

"So, now they think we're together- or at least friends with benefits," she laughed. "Maybe having someone see me wasn't so bad after all. It'll certainly keep her away from me for at least a month!"

"Is that all? The way she looked, you'd think she'd move away- to another continent!" The hallway was filled with their raucous laughter for a full ten seconds. Castiel was the one to break away, however, excusing himself with the fact that he was in need of some clean clothes in place of what passed for his pajamas and a towel to dry his hair. "See you at breakfast?"

She smiled, and his heart gave a painful flip that he tried very hard to ignore. "Why not?"

…

She dressed and cleaned up quickly, keeping with her regime of form-fitting black, but adding one accessory: a silver chain around her neck with a charm like a lion's face. It was a gift given by her father at her thirteenth birthday, just before her parents had died.

Ironically, it was she who was down at the table first, though the boys had had longer to prepare. She got her plate and served herself some fruit and toast and sat down to wait, watching the early birds come and go, munching on the bread and fruit.

"Lena. I have aught to speak about with you," Lysander supplied, setting down his own plate and looking just as pristine and formal as ever. She looked up at him. While sitting down, he was only about six inches taller than she, which was encouraging.

"What is it?"

"It is Castiel." His perfectly calm tone confused her to the point of wondering if she'd heard right.

"Eh? What about him? Is anything wrong?" She put down her toast and stared intently, waiting for an answer.

"He is quite besotted with you." Her surprised silence gave him time for another sentence. "Do try not to break his heart. Are we in agreement in this?" He held out his hand, as if hearts were a simple monetary deal.

"I- what- how?" she blurted back, still trying to persuade herself she had just heard what she'd just heard. After a moment's hesitation, she gripped his hand in return and shook it with determination. His pleased expression took the place of a thank you.

"Who knows the ways of the heart? You must only follow yours, and hopefully it leads you to him."

Inside, his own soul ached for a companion.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Pursuit

It was Lysander who encountered Emitt first during the day, and knew him by the description Castiel and Lena had given His spiked earring would be hard to mistake anywhere.

He was waiting in the counseling office, looking entirely too relaxed, with his feet up on a desk and his hands behind his head. His hair was almost as pale as he was, the color of corn silk. Lysander had kept his cool, but watched out of the corner of his eye. Pity he couldn't return the cap and finally catch him on something.

"Larson?" called the dean, motioning for Emitt to step into his office. _Why is he seeing the dean now? Was he caught somewhere he wasn't supposed to be?_

It took a few minutes, but eventually he came out, this time approaching Lysander with recognition in his eyes. "Hey… Aren't you Lys-something-or-other? I've seen you around." It wasn't quite a friendly greeting. There was something hidden in his brown eyes. He stuck out his hand for a shake. Lysander returned the gesture, keeping his face expressionless.

"It's Lysander. You are a service student for my English class."

"Ah, right." He was about to head for the door. _Time to inquire._

"What were you pulled in for?" Emitt turned around and gave a slight smile.

"The staff caught me in the halls after hours, but I don't think it's fair of them. Those custodians need help once in a while, so I just go up and clear the garbage." Lysander raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Truly? You would sacrifice your free time to 'clear the garbage'?" There was more meaning to their words than a simple conversation. _Is he dropping hints? Does he want someone to know what he's really doing?_ The South African nodded slightly.

"Yeah. Could really use some help one o' these days." He paused. "By the way, if you see my cap, please return it to me. I'll be waiting by the stairs after school." _He must have seen me- he didn't question that I knew what the cap looks like. _His eyes narrowed, watching Emitt walk back down the hallway and up the stairs, presumably to speak with a teacher.

_I suppose I have somewhere to get to after my classes are done, then._

…

"You don't need to do this, you know. She's in good hands at the hospital, and probably needs her rest." Dajan shifted back and forth in the hospital lobby. "Why not just leave this to the authorities?"

While it was true that this was a government hospital, the police had done little because there had been no evidence at the scene. That section of the roof was now blocked off with yellow tape, though there was little but wind and leaves. Lena, in the quest for justice, had decided to call on Violette to see if she could remember anything about her attackers.

"I don't want her to have to wait several years for the authorities to decide that no one's guilty and deny her justice."

"You're certainly critical of our country…" Just then, she reached the receptionist's desk.

"Visitor for Violette… I'm sorry, I don't know her last name." The lady's penciled eyebrows knitted closer together and she pursed her red lips.

"Well, let me look, I think we only have one girl by that name… Ah, room 120-5B in the west wing." She clipped a neon green wristband around Lena's arm and motioned at the nearby hall entrance. "Just down the hall and the first room to the left."

"Thanks."

"Does your friend need a band too?" Lena looked back at him with an expression that said 'well?' He looked at her and nodded, accepting the papery bracelet and clipping it on himself.

The two headed down the hall and slipped through the heavy door.

Violette appeared asleep- her eyes were closed, and her head was lolled to the side. Lena knew better. Her breathing was too slow for her to be asleep. "Violette?" She did not stir. "We need to ask some questions about your attackers."

This time she straightened as best she could and opened her doe eyes.

"Who are you?" She made no move. _Is she too weak to move? _The small girl fought back rage as she imagined tearing into the gang members with vicious blows, breaking them as they had broken this harmless little artist.

"Just a friend who wishes you well." She concealed her anger and waved cheerfully in lieu of what would have been an awkward handshake. "Please, tell me what happened. If the police do nothing for several years and let them escape, I'll never forgive them…or myself."

A flash of recognition crossed Violette's face. "Now I remember you… You're the one who found me."

"Yeah, I couldn't just leave you there," she answered instantly.

"Did you carry me all the way to the nurse?" Her voice was soft and so weak that Lena had to lean closer to catch everything. She smiled.

"No, two guys helped carry you. Now, can you tell me anything that might help me catch those criminals?"

"I'm not sure I should- they're students at the school, and it would draw too much attention…"

"That's why I'm investigating this myself instead of letting the government handle it. They pretend to make a big deal out of it, but I'm actually going to do something instead of just talk on the news." She took Violette's hand. "I won't tell anyone else if that's what you want." For a moment, she seemed conflicted.

"What about him? Will he say anything? Please, he can't say anything…"

"Why don't you want anyone to say anything?" She flinched, and not just from the constant pain in her side.

"I… I can't say." Now Dajan spoke up, both confused and concerned.

"Why not? Is someone threatening you?" The girl remained as silent as she had been when they found her beaten on the rooftop.

"So they are…" Violette could not see it, but Lena's hands tightened into fists at her sides. "They will die." The girl in the bed gasped in horror.

"No, don't!" Lena grinned a very scary grin. Dajan would have run from her if not for the fact that they were in a hospital.

"Oh, I won't, don't worry. Nothing that drastic, just a little well-deserved payback."

…

Lysander leaned against the wall by the stairs and sighed softly. He had been waiting for a while now, and it was almost dark. His stomach rumbled for about the fifth time since he had sneaked away from dinner to wait at the arranged destination. _I should have kept that slice of bread… Hope the birds enjoyed it, at least._

"Did you bring the cap?" Emitt's accented voice made him look up. Lysander withdrew the hat from a pocket in his coat and held it out. The strange youth only winked, glanced around as if afraid of being caught, and said a little loudly, "No, I don't think that's it. Come with me, I think I left it in the dorms.

"Are they not l-"

"Yeah, but I know a way in." He started walking at a leisurely, nonchalant pace, stopping only to motion for the other to follow. _I feel I am walking into a trap. It is too late to turn back now…_

They reached the courtyard and Emitt began to run at breakneck speed, his long legs carrying him towards the dorms. "Come on, we have to lose them!"

Lysander followed as best he could, taking longer step to keep pace. They scrambled for the sides of the concrete building. Footsteps could be heard behind them, so they dug their fingertips and toes into the gaps between cornerstones, hauling themselves upwards. Up three stories they went, and no one followed. Finally, when Lysander's arms ached and his lungs burned, they ducked into a window.

He stumbled through and fell to his knees, for once wishing that his coat were a little more breathable. _What madness have I gotten myself into?_

Emitt, who seemed completely unruffled by the sudden charge and adrenaline rush, plucked his hat from Lysander's pocket and flipped it onto his head. "They won't look for us here. They won't be able to search all the dorms in one hour, and there'll be more people here the later it gets."

"Why have you brought me here?"

"I'm not a member of Three Snakes, if that's what you've been talking about behind my back. My cousin Charles is." Lysander crossed his arms and straightened his posture a little more.

"Say on."

"He joined because he hated his parents and wanted to run away. Couldn't take the rules anymore, y'know, curfew and such."

"Why tell me this?" Emitt breathed out slowly and put his hands on his hips. His slouch seemed even more prominent now.

"I need your help to make him see straight. As his blood, I would do anything to bring him back."

…

Lena smiled to herself as she watched through the glass of the hospital window, watching Violette and Lysander deep in conversation. They seemed to be getting along well, and they smiled more often than she had ever seen.

"They seem happy together," Castiel commented, "but why do you feel the need to force them together? We didn't need to make this late night trip…" She huffed and turned to him.

"She needed some company, and I thought maybe she'd like to meet someone who would be there for her comfort, not her interrogation." Her friend snorted.

"I'm just glad he's actually talking to a girl who he doesn't have a completely platonic relationship with."

"You mean me?" she teased, nudging him gently.

"Y- no! I mean he knows a lot of girls and doesn't like any of them. It's time for him to get a girlfriend," he explained in a rush, turning away to try and hide his pinkish face. She only gave him a knowing smile and started towards the exit.

"Come on, it's late, and we only have about half an hour before lights out."

They walked out in silence. Lysander would go back when he was ready, though that didn't look like it would be soon. Lena could hear Violette laughing softly through the layers of sterile curtains. _He will not be alone. I'm glad for him, even if I don't know him well…_

The air was slightly warmer, as the weather had been changing again, as fickle as it always was. They crossed roads and walked a few blocks to get back to the school, hurrying for time.

"Are you cold?" he asked, noting her rather thin denim jacket.

"No, not really." They had reached the school gates. No cars were left in the parking lot, and the remnants of a full moon filtered down between the trees' leaves. Lena paused mid-step and took a deep breath.

"What are you doing?"

"Attempting to relieve stress. Being a vigilante is not the most relaxing thing," she muttered. He could see the bags under her eyes. She turned her gaze to her feet, a little embarrassed at letting him see past her overdone façade.

Then his hands were warm on her shoulders. She looked up, and his face was quite close to hers. "Hey. It's going to be alright. You don't have to do this alone, you know, no one ever asked you to do this."

"Thanks…" Her hands travelled up around his shoulders. She couldn't reach around his neck for his height, but looked up at him with gratitude. Slowly, he pulled her closer and she could feel his breath on her cheek. _So close…_

_ What the hell am I doing? _He tore himself away, fighting down panic at the waves of emotion. He looked at her, at her face that asked _why?_ She took a step towards him, hand held out as an offer of forgiveness.

So he ran, heart aching, back to his room, and did no sleep until first light.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: To Find a Love

Lena walked back to her room in a daze. She had known he liked her, but for him to try something like that… Well, they'd known each other long enough. But why had he run? _I wouldn't have minded…_ She shivered at the thought. She scarcely ever considered romantic connections with anyone. She had always been too preoccupied with school, outside lessons, and just scraping by at the orphanage to look at a guy as a guy.

She opened the door and flopped onto the bed, wincing when something crackled under her back. She turned over and plucked it off the sheets to read. In the moonlight from the window, she could see the neat, graceful lettering:

_If you continue your searching, you will die._

Her heart started hammering in her chest. She never locked her dormitory door, so of course they would get in, and they knew where she slept at night, they _knew_…

At least they couldn't come at any time- not when people were there. She tried to calm her breathing using the exercises she'd learned in her MMA lessons, and succeeded rather impressively.

Even so, her night was almost sleepless.

…

Lysander had left the hospital only when the nurse came in to tell him that visiting hours were officially over and that he would have to leave. Violette struck him as a sweet girl who simply had trouble opening up and showing her artistry. She had revealed to him things that he had been honored to know- such as her style of drawing and her thoughts on poetry.

He climbed the darkened stairs up to his shared room and opened the door, only to frown.

Castiel had a cigarette between his lips and a lighter just poised to set the paper and tobacco on fire. Upon the realization that Lysander had returned, he quickly sat on the materials, extinguishing the flame with a flick of his thumb.

"I know you smoke when you're upset." It was quite the guarded statement. If he said the wrong thing, he knew Castiel would probably blow up at him and wake everyone else up at this late hour. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Lysander only raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "Fine, I'll tell you," said Castiel with a resigned sigh. "I tried to kiss Lena."

"And she rejected you?"

"No, I left her standing there like the idiot I usually am." Lysander gave a very ungraceful snort.

"Well, at least you know…"

"That I'm an idiot? Yeah." He attempted to light his cigarette again, but stopped when Lysander headed towards the window, reaching for the catch. "Fine, fine…" He slipped the items back into the packet it had come from and slipped them under his bed again.

"You should apologize to her. You have likely only confused her more by leaving so suddenly and not explaining yourself." Castiel flopped back on his bed, folded his arms, and stared at the ceiling.

"I know." His friend decided to answer the unspoken question hanging in the air.

"Tell her that you're sorry for confusing her so, and ask her out on a proper date." Castiel spluttered and gave the other boy an incredulous look.

"What?"

"You and Lena dragged me over to the hospital just to meet Violette. I am simply doing the same for the both of you," he replied, his voice irritatingly calm. "Tomorrow, you must ask her out, or someone else will claim her before long."

"Like who?"

"Oh, Emitt, her friend Dajan, a few of the boys I spotted speaking to her during Theatre Production…" He was hit in the face with a small gym towel before he could continue.

"Shut up."

"Very well. And a very good evening to you as well…"

…

Lena could see all the students packing up their things to go home for the weekend. It was Saturday, the day when everyone was supposed to take a break from school and go home to friends and family.

She did not want to go back to the orphanage. She could see their huge white van pulling into the parking lot. _The staff knows my dorm number… They'll probably come looking for me here._ She smiled to herself and ran her fingers through her hair. _Well, then I won't be here. I am not going back, not willingly, anyway._

She dressed quickly in comfortably black slacks and a grey tank top, pulling back what was long enough of her hair into a high ponytail. _If they want a chase, they'll get a chase. _She stepped out into the hallway. Various people were packing to go home. Down the corridor a few doors, she could see Lysander and Castiel dragging some of their things out of their room.

_I shouldn't let them see me. They'll know I don't have parents now, and they might point me out to the orphanage workers…_ She slipped down the stairs and ran through the bustling cafeteria, feet slapping against linoleum tile as she ducked through the doors and out into the sunlight.

In her pocket, her phone vibrated upon the arrival of a new text. She pulled it out and read: _Come out to the main office, we're taking you back._

She typed back an okay, hit send, and continued running towards the back entrance of the school. Let them think she was coming, and wait for an hour before they actually searched the campus.

_I refuse to go back. This is my new home, whether I stay legally or not._

…

Emitt checked the time and tapped his foot. Lysander and Castiel would be going home soon, so the former had arranged for them to meet and explain their new objective: to retrieve the prodigal son Charles and return him to his parents before he got hurt or caught by police.

A yell came from around the corner of the building, and cardboard boxes could be heard as they were knocked over and flattened. He turned a complete circle looking for the source of the disturbance before spotting the culprits.

Lena fended off a barrage of blows from the caretaker in his white uniform, and retaliated with a kick to his diaphragm. He buckled and lay on the ground, gasping for air. She kept running, and another man in a uniform chased after her. She leapt up on a dumpster and grasped a low-hanging tree branch, pulling herself up and sticking her tongue out.

Emitt, thinking quickly, stuck out his foot. The man sprawled in the gravel. Emitt sat on his back, smiling mischievously. "Don't you know there are charges for domestic violence, man?"

The other worker, now recovered, dusted himself off and tried to haul Emitt off his partner. "Get off, kid, or we'll have to report you." Lena watched from her perch, clinging to a nearby bough for balance.

"What if I report you first? At any rate, there's a rehearsal going on right now, and Lena needs to be there. She's part of Production, you know." The man looked quite doubtful.

"We were not informed of her need to stay here over the weekend."

"Well, get informed now. She's needed in…say, two hours. Now what good would it do for her to go back to the facility, unpack, and then have to immediately pack again and head back?" The man he was sitting on made a thoughtful face.

"That seems redundant… We should let her stay, then." The other grimaced and sighed.

"Alright. But next time let us know before we have to go on a wild chase again. And let him up from the floor." Emitt happily complied, and the two were on their way, scrubbing at their uniforms to remove the dirt.

Lena jumped down onto the dumpster and sat on its closed lid. "Nice one. How did you know I have rehearsal later?"

"School announcements," he replied, his characteristic easy posture put into use. "And your friends are due to drop by in a few. Stick around, we have things to discuss." She shrugged and dropped to the floor, and sat in the sun-warmed scree to wait.

"Sure. Got nothing else to do right now anyway."

…

Castiel slung his duffel bag from his shoulder, a little irritated that he was required to carry everything home and back again on the weekends. His dog was probably quite anxious to go out again, as he was every day. He approached Lena and Emitt, irked that this stranger should have time alone with her after the events of the night at the hospital.

Said 'stranger' waved at them. "When do you two have to leave?"

Castiel shrugged, avoiding Lena's eyes. "When do you?"

"I've got to go in a few minutes. Lena can stay here over the weekend. Apparently the foster system will let her stay in school for projects."

Lysander's eyebrows rose. Castiel's eyes whipped to Lena and her dark clothes, her new, tough demeanor. _Why didn't she tell me? And why didn't I notice? Her parents are gone now…_ It took him a good five seconds to absorb the information. In those five seconds, Lena began running back to her dorm.

She would not deal with people who were completely insensitive and couldn't keep their mouths shut.

…

Castiel sprinted up the stairs, as fast as Lena, but unable to overtake her. "Wait!" She would not wait. All this could lead to was an awkward conversation about the events of the past few years she had conveniently left out when they had first met again. She darted into her room and tried to slam it shut.

All this achieved was a loud yelp from Castiel, who felt like his toe had just been broken when he tried to get his foot in the door. "Sorry!"

Then she tried to close the door again, but he pushed through and almost bowled her over in his attempt to enter. She sighed as she noted that he had fallen almost on top of her. _So. Awkward._ "Dude, it's called knocking. Or have you forgotten since you last fell in here?"

"Why didn't you tell me about your parents?" She winced. _Way to get straight to the point…_

"I didn't want anyone to know. I thought it would make you think differently of me, look at me as pitiable…the outcast." He looked down at her and quickly got up. "From the way you scramble away, you already do…"

"I don't," he replied in his blunt manner. "Mind telling me what happened?" he asked softly. Whatever emotions he was experiencing, Lena could not see. She kept her heart guarded. This was different from the counselors at the facility, where they were paid to talk to kids and make them feel wanted.

"I don't want to relive it…"

"Alright. But if you want to talk, you know where I am…" He made for the door, but she got up and placed a hand on his shoulder. He turned to look at her. She looked so vulnerable and small, the tough act faded and torn like cobwebs. "And… I'm sorry. For last night, I mean." She gave a dejected shrug and looked down at her bare, dirty feet.

"It's alright- I wouldn't have been ready for that so soon, anyway."

"Why?"

"I need to get new parents first," she supplied. "I want to know where home is before I learn where love is." He chuckled rather drily.

"Now you sound like Lysander."

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" They were falling back into their old rapport. It was so much easier than the newness called 'like.' Castiel stuck out his hand.

"Friends?" She smiled back, and he knew he wanted so much more than to be friends.

"Friends," Lena confirmed. _And when I have a home, I will be sure that I can love you._


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: The Threat

Dajan sipped his iced coffee and looked out the window of the café. It was a fairly warm day, and the ceiling fans weren't helping very much. Lena was supposed to meet with him, the other guys, and Violette, who had just been let out of the hospital. It had been several weeks since her friends had found out that her parents were deceased.

They had adjusted well to the news. It wasn't what one would expect from her, a girl with a strong set of morals and a deep sense of justice; not to mention that she was completely innocent regarding illicit activities that did not involve violence. No, her new (or old) friends had taken this quite well after the initial shock.

As far as he had heard, there had been no progress made as to tracking the gang and predicting their attacks, but they'd been watching the news every night for any sign of them. There had been several attacks at seemingly random places about once a week, and there never seemed to be any pattern to the movements. _Maybe they do it for the thrills, or for fun_, he thought with a decent amount of disgust. Crime for personal pleasure was something he'd never understood. No, he much preferred the rush of sports to danger and blaring lights.

The glass door's chimes rung as Castiel stepped in, followed by Lena in her workout clothes, and finally Lysander and Emitt as they assisted Violette in carrying her materials and school bags. Lena immediately slid into the large corner booth next to Dajan and hugged him enthusiastically. "Hey, what's up with you? It feels like I haven't seen you in ages!"

"Maybe so, but you've been texting me about everything, so I feel like it's been hardly any time at all!" The two moved over so that Violette and Lysander could sit down. She smiled gratefully, but said nothing. Lena noted with a grin that she and her smartly dressed companion were holding hands under the pretense of simple courtesy. Leave it to Lysander to completely sweep the girl off her feet with his gentleman's manners…

Castiel, much to his disappointment, was left to sit between Dajan and Emitt. Dajan was far too close to her for his liking, and Emitt was a natural flirt, as he'd found out in the weeks of meetings after school hours. He would just as easily flirt with Lena across the table as eat or sleep.

The waitress came by in her smile and her white apron. "Welcome to our café. Would you like to start with anything?"

Lysander looked about in case anyone should speak before he did. "Two iced teas, thank you," he said, affirming the choice with Violette, who kept her eyes down in the presence of so many people. She had not had the time to know them as closely as they knew each other.

Lena, who had her martial arts class next, went with water. Emitt didn't order anything, but when the waitress turned to Castiel, he ordered two soft drinks.

"You must be either really rich, or really thirsty," Lena said impishly.

"One's for you." He hid his smile when she blushed and spluttered something about owing money. "Of course, if you don't want it…" His signature smirk returned.

"Yes, I want it, but you're spending too much money on me!" Before the playful bickering could continue, Emitt spread out a map of the city on the table.

"Alright you two, back to the point." Dajan made a face.

"I still think we should just tell the police what we've found and let this go." Lena smiled grimly.

"This is one of those times when I hear your advice, but don't follow it. So, who's got notes on where these incidents were?" There was a collective shuffle as they all brought out notes from the news.

Violette turned over her sketchpad and laid it on the wood surface for all to see. "I… I have a list." Emitt picked the little book up and began reading each place aloud. Lena grinned and nodded at her, and she turned rather red.

"With dates too…" He began marking the locations according to date- one week in red, the next in blue, and the last in green. "The east wing of the mall, Louis' shop, the bank…" Castiel watched the pens scratching a record onto the map of the city. "The school-"

"That was some tough tagging to wash out," Lena interjected. Emitt continued on as if she had never spoken. He marked the very last place in purple, the theater.

Lysander's eyes narrowed. There had been nothing in the news lately about the theater. He decided to keep quiet for the moment.

Dajan picked up hid pencil and absently began connecting the red marks to each other. "Well, it's pretty obvious that there's a pattern now. Not all the attacks match, but…" Here he circled the area approximately in the center of all the demarcations.

Castiel's breath caught in his chest. Lena struggled between biting her lip and clapping her hands to her mouth.

The area circled enclosed the orphanage, its administration center, and the adjoining children's hospital.

Just then, the waitress arrived and served the drinks, laying them out on the map as if it was a tablecloth. "Would you ladies and gentlemen like anything else? We have a wonderful selection of desserts!"

…

Castiel and Lena walked ahead of Violette and Lysander to the dojo. Emitt had excused himself after their meeting, saying he had an appointment with his boss, and Dajan had gone off to practice for tryouts in the coming spring. Demon strained at his walked along calmly for once, sensing that his master was satisfied with his behavior.

"Has anyone asked to see you yet?" Lena shook her head.

"It's getting frustrating, you know. No one wants to adopt a teenager, with our reputation of mischief and rebellion. On top of that, they probably all think I'm some crazy emo kid who has mental problems and an extremely disturbed past. The headmistress leaves them with that impression when she tells them about me." She sighed and looked ahead at the sunny street and the cars rolling by.

"People are idiots," Castiel countered.

"Like you?" she teased back, glancing at him through dark lashes. He smirked back just as flirtatiously.

"No, not like me. They're idiots to think you're not a good kid to adopt." She laughed at that.

"It must be the black outfits. They're scared of me."

"I would be too, if I had to interview you and ask if I was a good parent!"

"Hey!" She smacked his shoulder lightly, holding back her grin. "I just don't want to have to stay there until I'm legally an adult, that's all!" They walked on for a bit, absorbing sunshine and thoughtfulness.

"What happens then?" he asked. At eighteen, he would already be in college. His family would support him, along with a part-time job somewhere and a few financial aid options. With her, there would be no family support.

"I get put out to look for a job and a new place to live. They'll give me a few months, but not as long as I'd like. I want to find somewhere to live without rent so I can go to a good college." Castiel whistled in amazement.

"Rough world out there. It always is."

Lena stopped and pulled open a glass door. The walls of the place were windows on two sides, and inside, the class was just beginning to emerge from the changing rooms and stretch on the mats. Castiel tugged Demon behind him, holding him tight so he did not lunge at the students.

There were sets of stairs on either side of the studio, presumably for parents and friends to watch, so he, Lysander, and Violette took their seats. Violette looked around. "Where'd Lena go? She was here just a moment…" The words died on her lips as the girl emerged from the restroom and stood at the front of the class, next to the head instructor.

Lena could feel her friends' eyes on her as she led the students of various ages through stretches and drills. She pretended not to notice them, instead concentrating on correcting the form and stance of a few of the younger individuals. _I didn't tell them I was training to be an instructor here… A volunteer, yes, but if I pass, I will be paid. Perhaps this is my calling- I could major in business and start my own school._

At long last, the head, her mentor, called for a pause. "Today is for free sparring," he announced. Then he turned to Lena's friends. "Would any of you like a go?"

"Sir-" she protested, but he held up a hand to silence her.

"This is your opportunity to demonstrate to the rest of us the proper way to spar." She looked at Castiel pleadingly. Violette was still healing, and Lysander would probably get hurt with his long coat and custom-made clothes. Castiel looked at Lysander and then back at Lena. "Would you care to try?" the instructor asked again.

The redhead had not choice but to go, because no one else could. He sighed to himself and stepped onto the mat. His friend motioned at his jacket and shoes. "Sorry Cas, you have to take those off." He raised an eyebrow.

"Why?"

"Those are the rules, and I might get in trouble if the mat gets damaged or dirty."

"The mat? What about me?" He had seen the damage she could do to a punching bag or a person, and while he was fairly sure he was the stronger one, she was very likely faster and more skilled. She grinned in reply, and it was not a very reassuring expression.

"Oh, don't worry about you. I'll go easy if you want-"

"No," he immediately replied, "I can take it." A few of the students snickered, but the master hushed them with a reminder of "Respect, remember."

Castiel reluctantly removed his shoes and jacket. He felt a little bare without them, and Lena was likely inwardly laughing at his white socks… There was a pause as the two moved to opposite ends of the mat. _At least I won't break anything by falling._

When they began, it was like a dance- a few blows were thrown to test each other. Then Castiel threw caution to the wind and just charged at her. She had to hold her breath to keep from laughing as she sidestepped him and thumped him on the back. His already unbalanced form toppled, and he found himself winded, flat on his face on a harder-than-it-looked mat.

The instructor had him head back to his seat, humiliation complete. Beside him, Lysander smiled. "It estimate that at about fifteen seconds." Violette giggled, but stopped when Castiel glared at her.

"Shut up." He focused his attention straight ahead of him. He caught the apologetic look Lena sent him, and it softened his mood- slightly. He would get his revenge later.

…

Lena bolted up the stairwell with Castiel hot on her heels. They had left Lysander and Violette to settle into their respective dorms, and now they ran through the halls and brushed past bewildered people. Peals of laughter rang from their lips as they ascended to the fifth floor and up to the green roof.

The girl savored the feel of grass between her toes and the smell of jasmine even as she ran towards the greenhouse section, giggling madly. She darted behind a hedge, leaning back against a hillock placed for comfortable seating. It, too, was nearly overgrown with grass. There she waited, panting, heart humming from exertion.

Castiel smiled and looked around as he reached the rooftop. _She would hide somewhere small and inconspicuous._ "Hmmm… Now where could you be?" he called, hoping to gain some indicative noise, or a sign of her location. The hedge caught his eye as something shifted silently under it. _There you are._

She yelped as he pounced on her, cornering her with walls of leaves and branches. A few leaves fluttered into the air during their short romp. "Hey, you crazy person-" she tried to escape and start running again, but he pulled her to fall beside him in the grass.

"There. Now we're even," he said, giving his teasing smile. She smiled back and took a deep breath, leaning back on his chest to gaze up at the stars. Then she looked at him and at the stars reflected in his eyes.

"You know what?"

"What, then?"

"I'm glad I met you again."

He only sighed his agreement and slipped an arm around her waist.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Traitors and Spies

Lysander waited at the theater, waiting at the entrance for trouble. The purple mark on the map that Emitt had drawn had revealed two things: the location of the map and his activities as a double agent rather than a well-meaning cousin looking to redirect his kin. _Of course, he could be misleading anyone who caught that little mark and hiding the real location of the trouble._

He had left Violette to unpack her things at her dorm and get some rest. He remembered what she had said: _I'm grateful for you help, Lysander. I hope we can see each other again, maybe… _Then she'd silenced herself, blushing furiously. He, sensing her discomfort, had nodded and bid her good night.

There was nothing happening. People came and went, talking about what movies, and how good they were. At last, he made his way back to the school and his comfortable bed.

…

Lena was not prepared for the sight of her room when she reluctantly returned from the rooftop, Castiel at her side. Their time had been silent, for the most part, for she had been dozing, warm in his embrace. Obviously, they could not spend the whole night on the roof, so she had graciously picked herself up (before he could) and begun her descent.

When she opened the door, the room was a jumble of shapes in the dim light from the hall. When she turned on the light, it was still a jumble of shapes.

The dresser had been overturned, and the sheets and blankets tossed from the bed and torn. A strong smell of mint hung in the air, and as soon as she stepped disbelievingly into the dorm, she knew why; her toothpaste had been squeezed out of its tube onto the floor and over as many pieces of furniture were in the room. Her soap as well had been emptied, the sticky bottle lying off to the side.

Parts of the bedframe had been hacked at with knives and scratched with curse words and rude graphics. The walls were slashed and sprayed with the word 'die' in bright blue and someone had even dug a pen into the side table with a vengeance, leaving long blue furrows in the soft wood. She could only look around in horror. How had no one caught them doing this?

"Whoever did this is going to die," Castiel decided, "a slow and painful death." Lena looked at him, anger in her eyes, but her face curiously calm.

"I must agree with you on that one." A paper had been tacked to the back of the door, so she ripped it down and read it. "'Your life is forfeit. Leave.'" To this she answered with a very hearty denial. Then she frowned. "That's the second time they've left a note without signing it, and it's really beginning to get annoying!"

"Wait, the second? Why didn't you tell me the first time?" Castiel gripped her shoulders urgently.

"I didn't want you to worry," she said rather sheepishly. "If you worried you'd be distracted from- oh, I don't know, the rest of your life?"

He huffed with a look that called her ridiculous and looked down at the trails of toothpaste. The print of a size ten boot was ground into the carpet with startling clarity. "Just look out for people with size ten boots." She sighed, mourning her many books that had been torn and thrown from the shelves. She had read them all, but they were like friends to her, access to other worlds and exotic places.

"Alright. And when I find them, they're going to buy me new sets of all of my books, new toiletries, and pay rent for any apartment I choose to live in after graduation." Castiel smirked. He didn't doubt she would force them to pay for absolutely everything.

Then it occurred to him that Emitt wore size ten boots. "It's Emitt."

"What?" She turned, confused.

"Emitt wears size ten boots. He was here, he probably had some part in this." Lena's eyes widened. Emitt had been friendly with them for over a month now. Was he really the one threatening her when he so adamantly claimed to be helping them? But…

"Maybe he's being coerced."

"What? No."

"Think about it; his handwriting doesn't match the one on the note. He was here, but he isn't the one threatening me. That could be why he helped us for so long, then did something like this." Castiel sniffed and glared at the boot print.

"You're far too forgiving."

"I know. So, will you forgive me for sleeping in your room again tonight?"

…

The television sets in the cafeteria the next morning confirmed Lysander's suspicions. There was a reel going about a shooting at the local theater about a young woman (likely deranged) and a teenage boy threatening the workers and taking the money from the booths.

"I thought so."

Lena grimaced, glaring at the boyish figure on the screen as if she could make it explode if she stared hard enough. "He's going to pay all his limbs to me, not just an arm and a leg. He might even pay his head." She took another bite of oatmeal, swallowed, and continued. "He might be threatened, but even if he is, he still deserves hell."

"Well, you're certainly in a black mood today, aren't you?" Castiel, who had quite enjoyed sleeping next to Lena and had gotten sufficient rest, retorted rather saucily.

"Isn't that a little too much?" Violette asked. She had plucked up the courage to speak more often, now that she knew her newfound friends would be kind and courteous…most of the time. "I don't think he deserves such a…severe death." Lysander gave her hand a gentle squeeze under the table, and she blushed, ducking her head. His affections were not something she was used to, but in a good way.

Castiel snorted. "I do. Who knows what might happen to us now that we know he's been going behind our backs for over a month?" His glare was now directed at his plate, which was empty of the bacon and eggs it had once held. "He could murder us all in our sleep if he wanted. Three Snakes does that kind of thing."

Lena's phone vibrated in her pocket, and she looked at it. It was a text from one of the aides at the orphanage: _There's a couple waiting to see you- show this to your teachers and come over quickly._ Her heart beat faster with nervousness. Would she have a new home at last? "Guys… I- I might get adopted soon." Her breath hitched, and she cursed herself for sounding so vulnerable.

For about ten seconds, silence reigned at the table. Lysander wondered if it was too early in the morning for them all to have to process such momentous news, but decided to break the silence anyway. "Congratulations," he said as politely as he could.

Violette was searching for the right words to say so as not to embarrass herself, but when she found them, they were right indeed. "I hope they're perfect for you, Lena. You deserve a good home…" Then her voice trailed off into shy silence.

The last person to reply was Castiel. He remembered what Lena had said about a relationship without a stable home: _I can't be with you until I'm sure I can stay with you. For all I know, the new parents might move out of the country or make me change schools._ Would the new guardian or guardians take her away, or let her stay? Would she at last openly be his? Then he wished he didn't feel so strongly about this little girl. It would be so much easier if he wasn't as sensitive towards her as he was. All he could think to say was, "Good luck."

She gave a sort of half smile in reply. "Thanks," she said, with a look that showed her heart in her eyes. _I'm willing to try, Castiel. Are you?_

…

Emitt was nowhere to be found throughout the day. Everyone had promised to keep an eye out for him or any other member of Three Snakes, but they were all absent. Lena tried to keep the sinking feeling out of her gut, feeling sick at the thought of any gang activity at the orphanage or the hospital. Would they truly be so cold to hurt innocent children, or those in need? Why would they do such things when they were clearly risking years of their lives?

Maybe their leaders just hated the foster system. She had seen it happen before. A child would be shifted from home to home, never finding security or peace, never finding the right family, or being abused once officially adopted. Then, as a teen or young adult, he or she would blame the foster system and hate it, swearing never to return or help that institution in any way.

_Who, though? And is this really the reason for the attacks closing in on this area?_

Were they so well organized as to be called a guerilla force, and not a ragtag gang? Their patterns certainly seemed that way, especially when police never caught them.

She tried to push away the disturbing thoughts and focused on the little papers littering the pushpin-riddled walls of the office. Would this couple be kind and accept her? Or would they refuse to take her in based solely on her black wardrobe and age?

Her fingers restlessly twitched over the screen of her phone. Playing a game was not helping to distract her, and she lost interest within a few minutes.

"Lena? They're waiting for you in there." She almost jumped at the soft voice of the caretaker. She was a nice woman, but lax in discipline with the younger kids.

"Alright." She got up from the stiff chair and took a deep breath. Then she strode forth and opened the door.

At first, sunlight from the window shot her eyes, so she blinked and sat down to preserve her sight. The people before her couldn't have been more than 25 years of age, and recently married, by the way they held hands and smiled welcomingly.

The man had sandy hair and light eyes, and the woman dark hair and amber skin. "Lena, right? Lena Sekhmet." he asked. She could only nod a little numbly. Her nervous system had shut down its instinctive functions to keep her from sliding under the desk to hide.

"Hey." The woman took her hand. She was a pretty thing, with a sweet temperament and a constant smile. "There's no need to be afraid. Just tell us about yourself." Lena frantically searched for something to say.

"I fight gangs," she blurted. _Crap. Now they won't take me for sure! Who wants a violent child with the potential to constantly break the law? Way to blunder your way out of a new home… _"And… I wear black for my parents, who died two years ago."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Disasters

Lena kept her eyes to the edge of the table as the couple asked a few questions about what she liked and disliked in parents and what sort of family dynamic they should have. _They certainly seem serious about keeping me… _She should have been excited, but the only thing she felt was the nervousness in her gut and her own shaky breathing.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" the young man asked her, his smile gentle and still, like snow on a windless day. She looked up, unsure how to answer. _If I say yes, will they say no?_ Her feelings for Castiel had grown in the months they'd spent relearning each other, but he had not mentioned a relationship except in passing.

"No, but if you would allow me…there is someone." Her ears burned. This seemed to satisfy the man's curiosity. They nodded at each other, and stood up. The interview was over. Lena bit her lip and stood up as well to leave.

As she walked out of the double doors of the little building, she saw the couple talking to the headmistress. It looked like a very serious conversation. _Maybe they will adopt me. Maybe everything will be perfectly fine. _She tried to calm her breathing and keep tears from spilling down her cheeks.

_Or maybe they will make me move. Maybe everything will not be okay._

…

That night, Lena had decided to at last sleep at the orphanage. The weekend had come, and there had been no escaping the aids and various counselors as they cajoled her teachers and her director in Theater Production to let her go during the two days. She would have gone anyway, since Emitt and news of Three Snakes was now centered round her home of two years.

Castiel had been reluctant to let her go, for her safety's sake, of course. "Call if anything happens," he'd commanded, and she fully intended to let him know about anything suspicious. Now, he paced in his dormitory. Lysander had retreated to the music room to compose something, possibly for Violette, so he was undisturbed, left to his thoughts.

What if the gang went after her, specifically? She was strong and fast, but they were bigger, and one caught limb could mean death for his dear friend, the one who had gotten closest to his heart in the past year. She was no match for someone three times her size, with a gun.

He had opened his radio app on his phone and was listening to the news, waiting for trouble. There was a traffic report, and a few commercials, but nothing big, except a crash on some freeway. Then…

_"There's a fire at the St. Cecelia Orphanage, origin unknown… Several severe burn cases…"_

That was all he needed to hear. He grabbed his jacket and practically flew out the door, leaving his phone still blaring the news.

Outside, a few lingering students gazed up at the pillar of ash and cinders that rose from the building just blocks away. He ran for the gate, jumped it, and sprinted all the way to the fire, coughing on smoke as the wind blew it in his face.

Crackling and the crashes of support timbers mingled with the spray of hoses, crying children, and the roaring hiss of the inferno itself. Castiel shoved through the crowd and ducked under the tape.

"Hey, kid, get away from there! You could die!" He heard, but did not obey.

_Think I don't know that? Lena could be in there, with her stupidly self-sacrificing morals, trying to rescue someone… _He took a quick look around the multitude of faces, and did not see her. She was inside the burning building.

He ran through the collapsed doors and up the stairs, jacket over his nose and mouth. There was hardly any oxygen, but the fire was still going, sucking fuel from the outside. Hot air buffeted him from all sides, and as he entered the first room, a jet of flame singed his pant leg.

He glanced around through smoke-blurred eyes. There was a table in the corner, just past an unstable plank floor. A hand showed from under the tablecloth, sooty, small, and slightly burnt. The heavy tablecloth protected the person inside from the fire, but for only so long.

_Lena…_ He ran across the cracking floor and grasped the cloth, pulling the unconscious girl out from under it. The heavy material had been soaked with water from a barrel of emergency water, as had the floor around it. His breath hitched as smoke billowed about him and he viewed the damage. A small child, a boy, was clutching her shirt, crying and hacking on the stifling environment.

But her face… She had probably run through fire and caught up the little boy. The skin of her right cheek was burnt from her temple, across her cheekbone, and down her jaw. Castiel struggled no to retch at the smell. If his eyes had not been watering already, he would have cried for her.

Someone yelled through a loudspeaker for him to jump out the window, that there was a trampoline below for him. _Ladies first. _With a grunt, he hauled the girl up to the windowsill. The boy let go of her, crying. Then he looked at the net one story down and silently apologized for any bruises the fall caused.

He watched her body fall away through the sparks and cinders, head lolling. Then he threw the traumatized boy out after her.

Behind him, a support beam splintered and crashed through the floor. The planks beneath him began to shift. He took a leap of faith after his love.

…

A slow, steady beeping sound filled Lena's ears. There was a dull, itching throb on the right side of her face, and she found it difficult to open one eye, as if something was half-covering it. The air was cool and sterile, and tinged with chemicals. A glance to her right revealed a very disheveled Castiel with a burnt smell clinging to him.

He was asleep, neck bent at an awkward angle.

"Your neck is going to stick like that, you know." He lifted his head, yawned, and looked at her a little sadly.

"Your face is going to stick like that too…" His eyes did not meet hers, and she suddenly felt weak with worry. "I'm sorry."

A trembling hand reached up to palm the bandaged side of her head. Her fingertips met gauze caked with pus and dried blood. _I… I'm damaged._ The tears that oozed from her right eye stung the raw skin, making her scrunch up her face in pain. _What will I look like once these bandages come off? A monster?_

Castiel pressed the button for the nurse, and she came quickly. Lena bit her lip and winced when it stun more than she was used to. Her lips were quite parched. She turned to the nurse as far as she could with tubes sticking out of one wrist and both nostrils.

"When will I be out?" It hurt to talk.

"In about two weeks."

"Dammit!" Castiel flinched. He had never heard her curse before, even mildly as she did now. It was her vehemence, too, that startled him. Then she did her best to calm herself and asked that the nurse leave them.

He took her hand. She stared straight forward, trying to stem the tide of tears and failing utterly.

"Do you know if that couple will adopt me now?" He was silent for a moment.

"No." She squeezed his hand and blinked rapidly, trying to stop her eyes from smarting.

"Find out for me, will you? Ask one of the aides, they should have my records saved somewhere."

"What if they want to break it off after this?" She didn't answer, but slowly let go of his hand and looked up at him. He knew the answer already. She would be moved to another facility in another city, far away, and have to change schools yet again.

…

Emitt viewed the burnt shell of the orphanage from the top of a neighboring building. Firefighters were still soaking the charcoal and ash in case any embers survived a day later. His eyes narrowed.

"Are you happy now, Ora? Your old home is gone, its workers displaced, and its children traumatized." His icy tone thoroughly conveyed disapproval. He could stand a bit of vandalism and thievery, but making victims of innocent children went against his deal-oriented morals.

He had become a spy against Lena and her friends for a steady income and a job that didn't involve sitting down. He loved the fight-or-flight situations and the constant exercise, but not true savagery. Ora, the leader of Three Snakes and a former foster child herself, stretched languidly, making full use of the extra space in her loose shirt and shorts.

"Come now, Emitt, my dear. You should be happy, you've truly lived up to your name!" Her voice was rough and low, damaged by childhood bronchitis. Her pretended charisma was quite irritating. Emitt's fists tightened.

"Just because my name is Larson doesn't mean I literally start fires and injure innocent people." He turned away from the scene and stood over her, eyes flashing with anger. She was a tall lady in her prime, outwardly a model and inwardly a sociopath. Her hair billowed about in light waves almost to her knees, and equally light eyes looked up at him with false innocence.

"Oh, but you just have," she purred, low voice sending cold fear down his spine. She was a manipulative killer, and he knew that now. One of the members had disobeyed orders, and she had snapped his neck without batting an eye, then threatened him with the same fate should he go against her in deed.

He turned to go, a deep snarl marring his otherwise smooth features. He halted when she spoke again. "Did you check on that little rat Lena?" He did his best not to say the first thing on his mind, for it could leave him dead on the rooftop and no one would know. "You should have seen her face during that fire, darling. She'll have some lovely new marks to add to her acne."

Emitt darted down to the ground floor, Ora's laughter ringing in his ears.

…

Violette stopped by the hospital to see Lena after her drawing class had finished. In her hand she clutched her newest sketch, now painted with watercolors and boldly outlined in the finest pen. It had taken her a day to complete it, but it would be well worth it.

She had heard the news of Lena's injuries and felt responsible for them. Lena would never have gotten involved with Three Snakes and their trouble if not for her carelessness. If those thugs had not caught her at the beginning of the year, her friend would not be in the hospital now.

She stepped into the hospital room, trembling a little. _She's not the kind to blame others for her misfortune, right?_ "H- hello."

Lena turned over to look at Violette, who tried not to gasp. After a day of changing bandages, the doctor had decided that she had healed enough to go with only a small gauze pad and some antibiotics over the wound. It would heal by exposure and gradual removal of the excess dead skin. Violette knew all this, and still could not look upon the injury without blanching.

She would never go into the medical field. Lena smiled at her, as brightly as she could with her face hurting as if it had been attacked by a swarm. "Hi."

"How is it here?" The girl in the bed snorted.

"The food's horrible- completely bland."

"I brought something for you." She handed over the drawing and waited for an opinion, just as her teachers always gave her. Lena's jaw trembled, as did her hands. Then she squeezed her eyes shut and thanked Violette for coming over, but she was tired and needed to be alone.

After Violette left, a little embarrassed that her gift seemed to upset the recipient, Lena ran her fingers along the edges of the sketchbook paper and absorbed the image, sealing it in her brain.

It was portrait of herself and Castiel, sitting together on a wall of stone in the middle of a green field. She was on the right, so her good side showed, and was smiling with all the happiness and freedom of one in love. Castiel held her hand with uncharacteristic gentility, and smiled back.

It was the picture of contentment, of that which she wanted most dearly.

It was the picture of what seemed could never be.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Scarred

The news was constantly playing in the hospital room, kept on by request. Lena, having left her laptop and phone at the school before the fire, had requested that they be brought to her at the hospital. Lysander had delivered them, and kept her company for a few hours, telling her of everything that happened in her absence. Violette brought her makeup schoolwork, and ensured that she was never bored.

She often went for walks around the hospital, drifting like a ghost from room to room, speaking to few, and then only when she needed something. As only her face hurt, she had taken to working out in her hospital gown, claiming that she grew restless unless exhausted by her exercise. The nurse sympathized, but the doctor disapproved.

Three Snakes had seemingly vanished from the news, of late, and there was nothing else that attracted her attention on the news. Now that the orphanage was gone, they had gone as well.

Castiel came to visit her every day, and she refused to see him. It was with reluctance that he left every time, unsuccessful and unsatisfied. He never admitted it, but he missed her. He was the same snarky individual with a rebel attitude, but even Dajan noticed something amiss when he practiced in the basketball club.

Two and a half weeks went by, and boredom crept up on Lena like a crouching lion, ready to spring and make her snap. She stood at the window, peeking out through the blinds. Her cheek no longer stung like it had, but there was a lingering ache beneath the partially scarred-over scabs.

"Today is the day," announced the nurse from the door. She had the sense not to barge in and ruin the atmosphere. "Aren't you happy? You're going home today, and that nice couple-"

"What about them? Will they still take me?" Her hands gripped the worn hospital gown as if to tear it to shreds. She had refused to see Castiel, and therefore refused any news of her adoption.

"Well, they have not stated to the hospital whether or not they wish to complete the transfer…" Lena was silent and still as a statue. The nurse did her best to break through the awkwardness. "Here, then, sweetie. Your clothes are on the bed, whenever you're ready."

…

Lena could feel the stares drilling into the bones of her face. She had no mask, no cloth or hat to cover the ugly, puckered skin that now covered parts of her brow, her jawline, and her once soft cheek. _What I wouldn't give to have only acne now…_

She hurried back up to her dorm. It was a Wednesday, and soft sunlight was filtering through wintery clouds like warm water through cotton candy. Castiel would probably be up on a rooftop somewhere, or shut up in his dorm sleeping if it pleased him…or so she hoped.

She ducked behind a column and huddled in shadow. If her face had not been desensitized by scar tissue, she imagined she would feel the blush of shame on both sides. _What if they all hate the way I look? If they were afraid of me then, will they revile me now?_ To her right, she could see Castiel at the school's entrance, leaning against another column. He was probably waiting for her. _What if _he_ hates the way I look now? I can't let him see me like this…_

Her eyes darted around for another entrance. Perhaps the dorms would be open, or the alley. _But there's no one going that way…_ No such luck, then. She would have to hide, or-

"Hey."

"Oh, Violette…" Violette was smiling, a little, with a knowing expression and a rather empathetic one as well. She handed Lena a small crayon, barely a stub of wax. It was flesh-colored, and left a matte, creamy substance on her fingers.

"I know you don't want to show your face… It's not much, but it'll help."

"What is it?" She examined the lump in the light.

"It's a mask. I wear one too, see?" Lena gasped as Violette peeled off a bit of the 'skin' on her cheek to reveal several bad pockmarks, indents in her true skin. Then she replaced the small flap. There was no mark left behind, as it was a fluid, clayish material. It looked just like her skin. "My father…he works with metal. There was an accident, so I covered it up once it was healed."

"Oh… Do I just rub it on?"

"Yes, like lotion." She regarded the little mask with deep thought. "Violette… Has Lysander seen you without the mask?" _Castiel…if you are my friend, you will still love me for who I am. At least, that's the way it's supposed to be._

"No…but he knows about my accident."

"Then I- I can't take this."

"You don't want to look like you did…before?" Lena smiled at her.

"Not even a little." And she skipped off towards the main entrance. Violette asked no questions, but she saw her companion smile, and that wavering, nervous smile was beautiful.

…

Castiel at last started on his way to class, but only because continued absence meant failing. Mathematics was something he was fairly good at, and he saw no need to review things he already knew. Lena was in an advanced class, and he would likely not see her until the break. _Will she see me now? …I wonder what she looks like. I doubt her insurance says anything about facial reconstruction._

He sat through an hour and a half of theorems, formulas, and ellipses before he escaped the cramped classroom, and to his credit, he refrained from making snarky remarks for most of the class.

He was just about to open his locker when a weight traveling at high speed tackled him to the floor. "Ha, aha… Good to see you too." His face, so used to a sarcastic smirk, was adorned with a joyful smile for once. He could guess who it was. Only she would dare approach him as such.

Around them, people looked on with bated breath, watching for the oncoming fairytale ending- or tragedy. A half-circle started to form, shoddy but full of interest.

He turned to face her, but she darted behind him, clasping her hands over his eyes. "Guess who."

"I know who, don't tell me!"

"Then look and see!" He did.

The damage was…bad, to say the least. The skin was mottled and uneven in places, and along her hairline there were small dots of scabs, and a wavy border between burned and untouched. The whole was darker than her normally tan skin, and chapped.

But her eyes sparkled with life just as he remembered, and her smile made his heart flutter perhaps more than it had three weeks before.

"Well? How do I look?" _Stupid question…_ His answer nearly burst her heart for happiness.

"Is it wrong for me to find you damn beautiful?"

"No. Not wrong…not wrong at all." And they kissed, and that was beautiful too, even if some turned away from the scene of ugly scars against the resident bad boy. Most of the students clapped or laughed, but they didn't care.

In the background, Lysander nodded, smiled, and melded back into the shadows, assured that his best friend was indeed the noble soul he seemed.

…

From the school cameras, a couple watched with interest as Lena and Castiel reveled in each other's company, joking and laughing. Various others of all graduating classes congratulated them, even though they were complete strangers. Castiel preferred to ignore them, but the girl thanked them graciously.

"What do you think?" asked the woman, barely looking at her partner.

"She's too attached," he replied. "It would deter her from killing him if she had to. She was better before she met him."

"You doubt the power of emotions, One. This is not just a simple infatuation, it is love."

"I don't believe in love," he grumbled back, but he knew she was right.

"This love could be her greatest asset or our biggest weakness," she said, choosing her words carefully.

"What are you suggesting?" Their years together with their agency provided him with a little insight into her ideas, but she still surprised him with her answer.

"We 'adopt' them both."

The door opened and the principal bustled in, completely unaware of the conversation. "I hope you find the security systems satisfactory! It covers every room, you know. Now, right this way, I'll introduce you to some of the teachers…"

Their cover as administrators had been highly effective.

…

Emitt looked into the dim white light above him. The chair was hard on his long, bony back as he slouched, but he maintained his nonchalant position. The inspector across from him shuffled through a few papers before sighing.

"Sorry, kid. The best I can rustle up for you is a few years in a juvenile detention center." He shook his head, resigned to his fate.

"As long as Ora gets a life sentence." Yes, he regretted what he had done, and that was clear on his lined face. "She deserves it."

"It'll be hard to dredge up the evidence against her, but you can be her witness. The problem with that is that if you do testify against her, you'll probably be transferred to a prison for another five years." He picked up the paper and a nearby pen and held it out. "But there's always another option. Sign here, please."

Emitt's thin, rough hands reached for the objects, but he hesitated. "What is this?"

"It'll wipe your identity, all record of you and what you are. You could take on another identity, and no one would be able to get you on anything." That seemed too good to be true.

"What's the catch? Nothing is ever straight with you law folks." He withdrew his hands from the table and folded them in his lap, out of view.

"No catch," hissed a sibilant female voice from behind him. The cold tip of a silenced pistol was pressed to the back of the head. "You just have to work for us now." He feigned calm and raised an eyebrow.

"What's the salary like?"

"Combat training, education, room and board free, plus a thousand a month to spend for yourself." He considered this option. There didn't seem to be much of a choice, and he wouldn't be losing much- except his ex-friends, and they probably wanted him out of their lives by now.

"When do I start?" The gun's barrel slid away from his cranium.

"Oh, right about now," said the man. A sharp pain, and then numbness seeped into Emitt's neck. _Sedative…_ He blacked out a few seconds later as the strong chemicals reached his brain.

The woman raised an eyebrow. "You could have let me club him, you know."

"No, we need him intact. He looks may seem like your average hood, but you and I know better." He plucked Emitt's cap from his crown, ruffled his hair, and replaced the hat. "Dangerous vigilantes have no place in the matters of our future recruits." The lady's skeptical expression gave him reason to pause as he heaved the young man's frame across his shoulders.

"Isn't our best prospect a vigilante as well?"

"She follows something other than the money."

"Ah, so you do believe in emotions…" She smirked.

"Shut up. We need to get back to HQ before anyone notices that I'm not the real inspector."


	12. Chapter 12

**Note: This is the last chapter, everyone! I apologize if it seems a bit inconclusive, but there will be a sequel, if you all will deign to approve of such a venture! So, if you want a sequel, message me or drop a review to say so!**

Chapter 12: What is Home?

Lena's day seemed to be getting better and better. Her friends were happy for her, and only minded her looks if she mentioned them. People stared, to be sure, but more at the fact that she was holding hands with the resident bad boy than her facial burn.

The last period of the day came around, and she shifted in her seat, impatient to get away and maybe spend some time up on the roof, up with the birds and under her favorite trees. Math was one of her best subjects, but only because she could figure things out on her own without the teacher's lecture.

The teacher, a snappy little man with wire-rimmed glasses, called, "Lena, a summons for you."

She walked up to the front of the room, pulling on her backpack. It was almost time for the bell to ring, so why would they give her a summons now? She took it and looked at the destination: main office.

A few of her classmates called out their goodbyes, and she waved back. She stopped at her locker to fetch the rest of her books, fingers flicking on the dark knob.

"Hey." She smiled and looked up.

"Hey. What are you doing out of class? I thought you had resolved to get sufficient education." Castiel smirked and picked the last book out of her locker, holding it for her.

"Well, looks like I'm not as resolved anymore- not when I have you to worry about. Who knows the next time you'll get jumped?" She laughed and elbowed him.

"You know very well I can fend for myself!"

"Which I why I take it upon myself to be your bodyguard; you're too cocky!" He leaned down to her ear, a slight growl in his voice. "Just because we haven't seen or heard from Emitt doesn't mean he's not still out to get you…"

She sprang away from him and started a jog to the main office. "Oh no, I don't think he'd bother us anymore, not when we make the perfect team."

They arrived at the office and entered, unsure what to expect. Then she saw the couple that had come and interviewed her a few weeks before, the people who had seemed serious about adopting her. _Have they come to take me home?_

Beside her, Castiel glared slightly to the left of the people before them. _What is he doing here?_ Something was not right.

There, looking ever so innocent was Emitt Larson with his snakeskin cap and thin-lipped smile. The man smiled and beckoned to her. "Come on then. You're coming home with us." The woman smiled welcomingly as well and put a strong, pinching hand on Castiel's shoulder, and suddenly he couldn't move. A startling numbness had spread down his torso, and the

"Yes indeed- both of you."

…

Lena's gut clenched with worry as she was steered out of the school building and into a white van. She heard the man talking to the woman who had posed as his wife. "Two, look. The campus police unit is here."

"So? All we have to do is flash badges, and they'll let us pass."

"Not this time. Orders were to avoid any recognition."

"Crap." Castiel shared the same sentiment, only was directed at Emitt, who was pushing him along as if he needed guidance. He would probably never live this down, and it rubbed him the wrong was to be shoved around. He would also have protested aloud by now, except the numb paralysis had spread to his jaw and effectively kept it shut.

They piled into the van, and the woman sat in the driver's seat while Lena was forced to ride shotgun. She buckled herself in and kept silent, sensing potential danger should she object. It was quiet as they pulled out of the parking lot. The police unit had decided it would be too much trouble to investigate, and left them to leave.

After a few miles, Lena pulled out her phone and plugged in her earphones to listen to some darkly-themed romantic operas: Lucia di Lammermoor was one of her favorites, and she decided that distracting herself was better than chewing her fingers off from nervousness. She would rather listen to someone else's madness than deal with her own. Still, she could not stop the thoughts scrambling through her mind, clawing for purchase and reason.

_Where are they taking us? Why is Emitt here? Why must they take Castiel too? _Her mind flew through all the most probable explanations. Were they throwing a surprise party and being clandestine about it? Were they going to take them to some strange facility for 'at risk' youth?

Eventually, the tracks of operas ran out as they drove on for hours. The city faded away into tall evergreen trees and her music faded into pop hits and piano solos. She was tired, and the adrenaline was wearing off.

In the backseat, Castiel and Emitt kept quiet despite the unanswered questions between them. There would be time for that later, most likely, wherever they were headed. The man sat behind them, toying with something that clicked metallically: a pistol.

…

"Hey, kid, wake up. We're here." Castiel opened his eyes and scowled.

"I wasn't asleep."

"Then get out. You're at your new home." This time he sat upright and blinked at the bright lights of the enormous garage where they'd stopped.

"What? I never asked for any new home."

"Your identity has been wiped from the government's files. Your remaining relatives are undergoing treatment, so if you go back to them, they won't know you ever existed." Before he could react, a guttural scream echoed through the steel room, and the sounds of a struggle hit his ears. _Lena!_He jumped out and ran in the direction of her voice, where she tried to run from several figures in black.

She kicked and twisted and bit, but their clothes were armored and their grips far stronger than the average. Castiel's fingertips had just brushed her sleeve when the man who had ridden with him pulled him back and kicked him to the floor. "Stay put or die."

A chilly, low voice echoed from a side door, and along with it, cold, clicking steps down steel stairs. "Put your toy away, One. Despite his rebellious attitude, we may need him." With a metallic sliding sound, the gun was again in its holster. Lena, exhausted from her fight, relaxed in an attempt to relieve the bruising grips on her arms and shoulders. She looked to the source of the voice, holding in tremors.

It was a woman with a long, narrow face and a long, narrow body. Her stride was as graceful as a dancer's, but exuded an air of deadliness, like a great cat about to pounce. Her hair was turning silver from stress, and her eyes like black blood. _Contacts? _Castiel thought to himself. _Psh…not intimidating. Not intimidating at all. _His nonchalant thoughts did nothing to still the shaking of his fingers.

Everyone froze, just as still as if they were statues. Lena was the first to speak up. "Will someone tell me what the heck is going on here?!" Castiel's dark humor kicked in. _Of course she would be the first to yell something when she wants to know what's going on…_ A grim smile crept onto his face. _I wonder if we will leave here alive…_

"You should be honored, little girl, that I am taking the time to brief you myself." The woman stepped down the stairs, shoes clacking. When at last her legs were in full view, Lena paled. _Her legs…they're gone! _Where knees and calves should have been, there were biotic legs that moved as fluidly and naturally as regular legs. "The government has just begun a team of elite soldiers, ones who have all the energy and wit of the young. Extensive research shows that the younger one starts, the easier it is to adapt, and the more potential is unlocked."

Castiel frowned. "What are you saying?" Then he sneered. "Who are you, anyway?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out. At any rate, you've been selected along with several others to undertake training."

"And what if we don't want to?" Lena queried, her voice quiet and as threatening as she could manage. "What if we would rather die than go through with these inhumane plans?"

The lady laughed and her mechanical joints clicked like the jaws of a king crab. "Well, you're welcome to die if you want to, but this is hardly inhumane. Emitt, would you like to detail the benefits?" At the name of the traitor, the girl lunged against her bounds, baring her teeth and hissing furiously. He paid her no mind, only drew a knife and began cleaning his nails with it.

"Oh, all the science imaginable to keep you in top health, a few thousand to spend every month, free room and board, and education…"

"And that's only the beginning of it," the lady said, retreating back up the stairs. "Take them to their quarters. Boot camp starts tomorrow."

…

After an hour of pounding on the metal door and looking for a way to pick the lock, there were still no results. She had only found a few chemicals under the sink, ones that weren't nearly toxic or acidic enough to melt through the barrier.

The people in black combat wear had shoved her into a small room not unlike her dorm back at the school, except this one had no windows. She had searched the closet, and there were no outfits that had any style, except that of science-fiction-geek and showy-MMA-workout. She decided that the showy outfits would have been good, except they were too exposing. _At least they look comfortable enough._

The clock on the nightstand read 9:00pm, and she was hungry beyond belief and beginning to get lightheaded from lack of usable calories. _What will I do now? Surely Violette and Lysander will be missing us both._ Then she snorted and sat down on the bed, head in her hands. _That is, unless that crazy woman out there has some way of persuading them that we never existed._

_ No, they couldn't do that. There is no way to ensure it._

_ But what if they do? What if the next time I see them, they don't know me at all? What will Castiel do if his best friend doesn't remember?_

A curious sense of déjà vu washed over her. Lysander was indeed his best friend, and Castiel would do everything he could to make him remember- just as Lena had done for him.

Her hand reached for her bag, but she remembered now that it had been left in the van when they'd come. _Darn, now I won't be able to…_ Her chain of thought crashed and crumpled into a mess of emotions. There, in the wall, was a phone charger exactly like hers, for the same brand of smartphone.

_They've been planning to kidnap me for some time, then, to know what technology I use. They must know everything else about me too._ Her hands trembled and fisted in the rough blanket of the small bed she sat on. There could be no going back to the life she once had. This had to be home now, whether she liked it or not.

_There is no escape._

**Note II: If not enough people tell me they wish for a sequel, I may take a break from this fandom and continue my unfinished works with Phantom of the Opera. I mean, who doesn't like that musical/book?**


End file.
